The Heart of Erebor
by Lady Em Jade
Summary: Pullena's life is drastically changed when she goes from being a royal guard in the Iron Hills to the head-servant to Prince Thorin of Erebor. This is the untold story of the events that covers the prosperous times of Erebor before it was taken by Smaug and to the beginning of the quest to reclaim it. Most importantly, it is the story of the girl whom Thorin fell in love with.
1. An Unexpected Meeting

An Unexpected Meeting

Most stories have humble beginnings and many heroes have a lowly start in life. The tale that I am about to tell you is about a servant girl who changed the heart of kings and influenced the decisions of a kingdom, and not just any kingdom, but the great Dwarf kingdom of Erebor. She taught the leaders of the seven Dwarf kingdoms that in order to be mighty leaders, they needed to be servants to the people they worked so hard to rule over. Even the mightiest of enemies became marked by her sword. She taught the Dwarf Race that the most powerful force in Middle Earth was not found in magic or mighty armies, but in a true love for the people around her. This is her story…

Our tale began on a crisp spring morning in a little town located in the heart of Rhovanion. The town was formally known as Esgaroth, which was one of the most popular trading ports in all of Middle Earth. On this day, people of every race gathered to sell, trade, and buy goods being brought from The Lonely Mountain and the city of Dale. Everyone knew that only the best of goods came from these two places and everybody wanted something from Erebor. The scene at that time was almost like a fair; for there were decorations on every house and the main market square was completely crowded with vendors and shoppers alike. The smell of freshly prepared food permeated the air and was almost stronger than the fog that loomed over the river. People dressed in their finest clothes to show off their order of the social class. As all of this fanfare was taking place, the people in Esgaroth missed a truly great event; for on the other side of the town, a servant girl, who was going to change Rhovanion forever, stepped foot ashore.

"We are ready to make dock, Milady. It would be wise for you to be gathering your things." said the man who was maneuvering the boat into port. He was tall in stature and every fiber of his being was muscle. He was wearing a brown pair of trousers and a long faded out green shirt. The man had a yellow tassel tied to his waist to keep his shirt from flailing around like his auburn colored cape. He skillfully made his way around every other boat that was in port for the day and eventually found a spot on the dock to drop anchor. A young dwarf woman was getting her things off of the small wooden boat and onto the water drenched dock.

"Do you need any help, miss?" inquired the boat's captain.

"No, thank you, Banus, but I do believe I shall be able to carry my belongings. Thank you for bringing me here on a busy day like today." The young dwarf began to search in her satchel for a small bag. When she found it, she tossed the small leather bag of coins to the captain. "Ten gold coins as promised, sir."

The captain caressed the bag and held onto it tightly in his masculine work worn hands. "Bless you, milady. This here will feed my family for a month." He gave her a nod of gratitude as he pulled the anchor out of the water and pushed against the dock to free his boat. "I would suggest that you find a good body guard to accompany you to Erebor. With all of the events going on this weekend I would not want you to risk any run-ins with the purse snatchers or bandits."

"Thank you, Banus." she answered politely. "I wish you safe travelling and blessings to you and all of your kin." The dwarf began to wave her hand as a goodbye to Banus.

"By the way I never got your name." Banus asked. The young lady picked up her belongings and replied, "My name is Pullena." as she turned to walk towards the Main Square.

Once she reached the square, Pullena felt overwhelmed by all the business taking place. Many people were yelling, the crowds were pushing against each other, and children were running all over the place. Being a dwarf, she was too short to look over everyone to find a quiet place to rest, so she walked over to the first dwarf she saw. "Excuse me ma'am!" Pullena tried to yell over all the noise.

"What can I do for ya love?" she said with a strong accent. Pullena noticed the bright turquoise cape she wore along with a gold colored dress. She must have been rich, for she looked well fed and her cheeks were very full and rosy.

"I need to find a body guard to accompany me to Erebor. Do you know where I could find one for hire?" Pullena pulled her belongings closer to her and put her hood over her head. The crowds were getting wildly out of control, so the woman took her aside to a not so crowded corner.

"Do you see that sign in the distance, lass?" The woman pointed to a sign with some odd markings on it. "That is a local pub. I work there and I just got finished with my shift for today. I waited on a dwarf that said he was traveling to Erebor within the hour. You better make haste before he leaves."

"Thank you very much!" said Pullena. She bid the woman farewell and began to walk towards the sign. She hated to be rude and charge into people, but it was the only way for a small dwarf like herself to get anywhere in a crowd. Pullena looked up at the sign to make sure it was the same one that the woman had pointed to. It was a yellow sign with a picture of a man dressed as a captain sitting on a pile of bottles. "The Captain's Store?" Pullena mumbled to herself. "Oh, what have I gotten myself into?" She once again tightened the straps on the large blue bag that hung on her shoulders and hesitantly walked into the building. It looked how she expected it to look. The pub was dark, foul, and smoky from pipes. Luckily, the walls were able to drown out the conundrum going on outside. There was a large cobblestone fire place where a large silver cauldron was hanging. In front of the fire place laid the skin of what appeared to be a wolf, but then again it could have been a warg, for killing one of them was considered more noble than killing one of the great spotted cats from the south. There were many tall wooden tables sporadically placed around the room whose wood was worn from all the spirits spilled upon them. On the left wall there sat a well-stocked bar with a cobblestone counter guarding it. People were just minding their own business and enjoying a drink with some lunch. Pullena quietly approached the bar area.

"Excuse me, miss." Pullena inquired to a woman standing behind the counter. The woman turned around and gave Pullena a disapproving look and turned back around to finish drying a wet glass mug.

"I am sorry, but we are not hiring help at the moment." the woman said snidely.

"I am not looking for work. I was told by one of your waitresses that a dwarf is leaving for Erebor and he was in here a while ago or does he linger still?" The woman came back to the front of the counter and put the mug down. She drew Pullena close to her.

"That dwarf in the corner is who you want to talk to, but if I were you I would wait it out and travel back with the caravan next week." Pullena looked at the dwarf who was hiding beneath a blue hood and smoking a pipe.

"This cannot wait." Pullena stated. "I have to get to Erebor as soon as possible. I would like to take my chances." Pullena picked up her belongings and began to walk over to the dwarf. She crossed the wooden floor which made a creaking noise every time she made a step. Pullena cleared her throat as she dropped her bags on the ground beside the raised wooden table and climbed up on a large wooden stool. The dwarf's eyes looked up from the table. They were a deep and brilliant blue color and the intensity behind them was magnificent. Pullena felt like she had been stricken by lightning when he looked her in the eye.

"I am not here to seek trouble." said a deep and somber voice. The dwarf put his pipe down on the table as if he was ready to fight.

"Nor am I!" Pullena interjected quickly. "I was told that you were leaving for Erebor. Is that correct?"

"What of it?" His voice started to sound edgy. Perhaps she should not have bothered him.

"I need to hire a body guard to take me to Erebor. I am willing to pay generously and all the provisions will be paid for out of my pocket, but I should like to leave within the hour." She kept eye contact with him and stared intently at his face so that he knew she meant business. The man said nothing at first and sniffed and cleared his throat. He then cleaned his pipe and put it away. As this was going on, Pullena's gaze remained on him and she waited patiently for his answer. She began to notice the features on his face. His eyes could pierce a soul, he had a small mouth and thin lips which were surprisingly proportionate with his large nose. His beard was tied in the middle and braided. It was not very long, so Pullena knew he had to be younger than fifty years of age. His hair was deep brown and very long and wavy. There was however a certain loneliness and fatigue about his complexion. This dwarf looked like he dealt with stress often. "Perhaps he is a warrior?" Pullena thought to herself. Finally, the dwarf spoke up.

"What possessed you to come to me for help?" he asked.

"Nothing in particular, I was just told that you were journeying there and I assumed that you like all people would not mind making some easy money."

"What is your business in Erebor?" he inquired. "I cannot imagine that you are interested in mining nor do you seem wealthy enough to live there. Do you think you can walk in there and sell yourself to the men? I will not bring that behavior into The Lonely Mountain."

"You of all people should know that Dwarf men do not have time for their own wives let alone a woman they have ever met." she said.

"They would make time for your bonnie face." he said as he was eyeing her. The dwarf was very suspicious of her.

"If you must know, I was hired on as a maidservant and I need to get there as soon as possible. I was told that you travel to The Lonely Mountain often and I would like to hire you as a body guard. I am willing to pay you whatever you wish." She stared at him trying to study what was going on in his head. He looked to his right and sighed.

"I'm sorry, but I cannot take you to Erebor. Why don't you just travel back with the merchants next week?" The dwarf got up and threw a couple of coins on the table. As he walked to the door and threw his hood on, Pullena jumped up.

"Please, I need to get to Erebor! I am the new head servant to the prince!" The dwarf stopped right in his tracks. He shot a glance at her and raced towards her.

"That was unwise." he whispered to her face. He grabbed her belongings and clasped his hand on her arm dragging her out of the pub and into the boisterous crowd.

"Where are you taking me?" Pullena tried desperately to break free of his grip, but he was too strong. "Let me go!" He took her into an alleyway away from all of the festivities. "What are you doing?"

"Quiet!" The dwarf stuck his head out of the alleyway and began to observe the streets around them. Both of them were breathing heavily from the mass chaos that had just ensued. "All clear." he said. Pullena breathed out a sigh of relief and thought she had avoided a disaster, but the dwarf quickly pinned her to the left wall of the alley. He covered her mouth with his hand and grabbed the dagger that was hanging from her side. "Who are you really, a spy?" He put the dagger up to her neck. "I am going to let you talk, but I swear upon Durin's name if you scream then I will kill you." He removed his hand from her lips.

"I am telling you the truth! My name is Pullena and I was hired by the King of Erebor to be the new head servant of the Prince. I have traveled from The Iron Hills. If you take me to Erebor then the King will be my witness to these claims."

"Very well." He released her and she fell to the ground trying to catch her breath.

"Who are you?" Pullena inquired. She pulled a goatskin flask from her bag and began to drink from it.

"My name is Thorin." He gave Pullena repossession of her dagger. Pullena began to laugh.

"What a perfect fit. Your name means bold one. You would have to have a name like that to have the audacity to hold a dagger to a woman's throat."

"You were drawing too much attention to us back at the pub. There were men in there that have been following me since I left The Grey Mountains. If I did not act as quickly as I did then the both of us would be dead, but perhaps someday you will find the capacity to forgive me for saving your life." Pullena gave the flask to Thorin to drink from. "So does this mean you accept my apology?" Pullena stared at him with her eyes narrowed. He could tell that she was still angry with him.

"You are intolerable." she said.

"And you Pullena almost got me killed."

"Yet here you are still alive so will you please be quiet." Thorin was going to say something else, but he kept his mouth shut. Pullena began to empty out her travel sack of unnecessary belongings. Thorin began to study her for she seemed to be ignoring him during her reorganizing. He noticed she was rather skinny for a dwarf woman and quite short. Her face was small and so were all the rest of her features. Pullena looked like a fragile doll, but she seemed to have some muscle to her. Her dark brown hair was braided like all Dwarf women wore their hair and her eyes were as blue as the clear summer skies. She was far more beautiful than any woman he had ever encountered. Thorin was startled when he heard voices coming their way.

"Are you sure they went this way?" the taller of the two men said. He checked his side to make sure that his sword was still with him.

"Yes, I am sure. Where else could they have gotten to in this bloody crowd? Let's just find them and finish the job."

"We need to move now!" Thorin threw Pullena's travel sack onto his back.

"But this alley is a dead end! We cannot go out there." Thorin began to look around for a way out.

"We do not have any other choice. Get ready." They both took off in a sprint and ran back onto the main street.

"After them!" one of the men yelled.

Pullena and Thorin were running with all their might and despite their shorter legs they were keeping a distance from the men. They were running into so many people and toppled over a couple of merchants' carts. One of the men eventually caught up with them and grabbed Pullena. "Thorin!" she screamed. Before Thorin could get his sword, Pullena had pulled her dagger out and stabbed the man in the arm. When he let go of her she sliced his leg very deeply and began running again. Thorin threw a barrel at the other man and he quickly fell while trying to avoid it.

"We must make haste to the stables." Thorin said. They began pushing their way through the crowd as fast as they could. In the meantime the two men had recovered from their injuries and began to chase them harder wanting revenge for what they did to them.

The two young dwarves continued to fight their way through the crowd. Pullena spoke what seemed to be a thousand pardons to the all the people that they pushed over. The men were just seconds away from catching them. The crowd started to dissipate since they were reaching the outskirts of town. The rundown stable was now in sight and their escape was imminent. Pullena's full sprint came to a stop when she felt the icy sting of a blade cutting into her side. She tumbled several feet before sliding to a halt. Thorin looked over to see where Pullena had gone only to find their uninjured pursuer getting ready to make a fatal blow to her.

"Pullena!" Thorin ran towards her in a charge. With his sword held high he was an unstoppable force. Their pursuer looked up just in time to see that Thorin was less than ten feet away from him. His eyes went wide in terror whilst he braced his body for the impact of Thorin's blade, but to his surprise there was already a dagger in his abdomen. The last thing the man saw was Thorin's sword slicing towards his neck.

"Are you alright, Pullena?" Thorin looked at her side to see the damage. She was losing a lot of blood. Thorin began to put his hand on the laceration to stop the bleeding, but Pullena grabbed his wrist forcefully.

"We need to leave before we are seen. I will be fine, but we must bind this when we are a safe distance from this town." Pullena put her hand on the wound and applied pressure to it. In the meantime, the second pursuer was beginning to limp his way towards them.

"You bloody dwarves; I will kill you for this!" He drew out his sword ready for battle.

"Get the ponies!" Pullena exclaimed. Thorin helped her to her feet and carried her to the entrance of the stable.

"You killed my friend you filthy creatures!" The man began to hysterically cry and mustered the rest of his energy to charge towards Pullena. She pulled out her sword and assumed her battle stance.

"Wait!" Thorin came out of the stables with two bay colored ponies. Both of them were saddled up and ready to take off. Thorin quickly lifted Pullena onto one of the ponies; his countenance was full of worry. The ponies took off like birds in flight. Thorin and Pullena sighed with relief that Esgaroth would soon be behind them. After what she had been through Pullena just looked at Thorin and started laughing in order to avoid crying. The two dwarves maneuvered their way through the town and exited on the long and narrow wooden dock to begin their journey to Erebor.

Hours had passed since Thorin and Pullena had made their escape from Laketown. The sun had begun to set which turned the sky a bright orange color with purple streaks of clouds. The two dwarves did not converse much on this journey and it was starting to make Pullena feel awkward. She went to drink from her flask, but realized it was almost empty. She looked up at Thorin to see if he showed any sign of stopping, but he just kept his gaze straight ahead to the horizon. Finally, Pullena spoke up…

"How much longer will it take us to arrive at Dale?" she asked.

"We will not reach Dale until tomorrow evening. We will camp out under the stars tonight."

"I am sorry, but I did not realize Laketown was a great distance away from Dale. I do know that Dale is not a long way from Erebor. Why can't we arrive at Erebor tomorrow?"

"Erebor is under strict security and reasonably so. They lock the gates in the evening and nobody goes in or out. Not even the prince himself can override that." Thorin pulled out his pipe from the saddlebag and prepared it for a smoke.

"May we stop and take care of this?" Pullena moved her hand away from her wound. Her shirt was covered in blood. "I think it needs cleaned and sewn. These bandages are not serving their purpose." Thorin dismounted his horse and helped Pullena off of hers. He placed her down by a boulder so that she would have something to rest her back on.

"Do you have a needle and thread in this bloody sack of belongings?" Thorin started to dig through the travel sack.

"I have it all here." Pullena unpacked the needle and thread from her pocket. "I like to keep this close at hand." Thorin knelt down beside her and began to try to tear her shirt. "Stop!" Pullena exclaimed angrily.

"I did not mean anything by it. I am just trying to help you. How are we going to do this?" Thorin stepped back and let Pullena decide.

"Very well." She sighed as she surrendered the needle and thread to Thorin. He poured water on the needle to make sure it was as clean as possible. By the time he had turned around Pullena had her shirt cut so he could access the wound.

"Do you need anything for the pain?" He began to thread the needle. Pullena grabbed a stick and placed it in her mouth. She looked at Thorin with calmness in her eyes and nodded to him. Thorin began the procedure. He cleaned off the bloody gash one last time and made the first puncture with the needle. Pullena hissed in pain, but she kept very still. Stitch after stitch Thorin did the best he could. "All finished. So why don't you tell me about yourself." He began to look over the stiches and make sure they were secured before he tied it off.

"Well there is not much to report. You probably would not believe my tale." Pullena said. Thorin gave her a look of doubt to mock her. "Very well, but do not laugh at me. I was born and raised in The Iron Hills and I never knew my parents. The only thing I know about them is what the villagers have told me. Apparently they just wandered into the mountain one day and claimed to be merchants. The next morning they were gone and I was just lying on the floor as cold as ice. I was adopted by the Captain of the guard and his wife and went through military training."

"You have military training?"

"Yes. Back home I was in the Royal Guard and I accompanied King Dain on many outings. We were attacked one day and a week after the attack I was told to move out of The Iron Hills and find a new job elsewhere. It was all very sudden, but luckily they assisted me in getting a job in Erebor."

"Well, I am just relieved to discover that you are indeed a dwarf." Thorin said as he tied off the thread.

"What in Durin's name are you talking about? Of course I am a dwarf! Why wouldn't I be?" Pullena looked at him with a mocking smile waiting to hear Thorin's explanation.

"I'm sorry, but you are rather short. Even in dwarf terms you are short."

"Well you are extremely tall for a dwarf and your beard is short!" She watched as he broke the string with his teeth.

"At least I have a beard." Thorin thought he had won the argument.

"Unlike other dwarf women, I do not want to be mistaken for a man. Besides, I cannot grow a beard, but I would shave it off if I did grow one."

"Alright take it easy I was just fooling around." Thorin wrapped up the thread and surveyed the area around him. The light was fading and night would soon be upon them. "We will make camp here for tonight."


	2. Unwanted Guests

**Author's note: The third chapter will be published within the next five days at the very most it is written, but needs edited for grammar**. I would absolutely love to hear your feedback so that I may better my writing. Please do not hesitate to follow and favorite this story I promise I will not leave you all hanging with no posts for months at a time. Thank you! ... - Em Jade

Unwanted Guests

The day had turned to night in Rhovanion and a host of stars were shining in the night sky. The dwarves had just finished setting up their camp and Pullena was cooking their dinner. Thorin sat on the ground and smoked his pipe while he watched Pullena prepare the meal. She was busy roasting a few squirrels Thorin had hunted down. The last hour of silence had made Pullena begin to feel awkward so she decided to strike up a conversation.

"How long have you been working in Erebor?" Pullena asked. Thorin jolted awake from his daydreaming.

"You could say that I have been working in Erebor my whole life." He began to smoke his pipe again.

"What is it that you do exactly?" She took a bite of the squirrel and was surprised that it tasted well even though she did not have anything to flavor it with.

"I do whatever is needed. My duties range from escorting merchants to speaking on behalf of the King."

"That explains why you look so tired. You must be so stressed out that you cannot rest."

"I beg your pardon?" He thought her comment was quite bold.

"I did not mean any offense. You just look restless."

"Are you looking forward to be the Prince's servant?" He tried to change the topic so she would not feel embarrassed.

"I would be lying if I told you that I was happy about it, but it may turn out to be a grand adventure. I would rather be on the battlefield defending my people than drawing a bath for a prince. Who am I to judge? People talk kindly of him so perhaps it will be an honor to serve him."

"What do people say about him?"

"They say that he has great potential of becoming a noble king. In my opinion, personality matters not. I am more interested in the sacrifices he has made for his kingdom. I have not heard any heroic stories from the battlefield regarding him. Personality is only as genuine as the actions of a person."

"Rulers should not have to gain the people's respect through their actions. Just the fact that they have power should be enough."

"I believe power has nothing to do with respect. If one has power then the people feel like they must submit to you because they are afraid of the power you have. I have found that it is the rulers that do great deeds for the benefit of the people that are truly loved and respected. For example, I have only known you for a day and the only reason why I trust you is because you saved my life many times. I do not even know you that well, but because of your actions I can see that you are a trustworthy person."

"Oh, I see."

Pullena began to pick up the remains of their dinner and tossed them over the hill. She then began to tidy up the camp and prepared a bed for Thorin to sleep on.

"Why are cleaning? We are in the middle of nowhere." Thorin began to put his pipe away.

"I just want to practice my duty to the prince. I have always been a warrior, but the ways of a servant are foreign to me. I do hope to perform my best."

"The Prince is not very harsh. I do not know why you are so worried about pleasing him." said Thorin. "As a matter of fact he told me that he did not wish to have a servant and that it was his grandfather's bidding."

"Let us hope that I do not come all this way to find out I have been sacked before I was even hired." Pullena began to make her bed for the night. She pulled out a rolled up mat and a brown blanket to lie on.

"You may go ahead and rest, I will take the watch tonight." Thorin built up the dying fire and sat back down.

"Thank you and goodnight." said Pullena as she lay under her blanket.

"Goodnight, Pullena." Thorin sat around for about an hour and listened attentively for any movements. So far all was quiet. There was a clear sky that night and all the stars were visible for him to see. After a while, the fire started to die and Thorin got up to tend to it. He was startled by Pullena waking up from a nightmare. She was breathing heavily and her face was white.

"Are you alright?" Thorin handed her the drinking flask.

"Yes, I am sorry. It was just a bad dream. You can rest now I will take the watch until morning there is no way that I will be able to sleep the rest of the night.

"I would rather keep watch during the night since I am familiar with this environment, but I do have something that could help you sleep." He walked over to where he was sitting and unveiled a golden harp that was hiding in his travel pack.

"That is the most beautiful instrument that I have ever seen. Where did you acquire such a fine harp?"

"It was a gift from the King." He took it out and began to play a chord. "Try to sleep." Pullena relaxed herself and closed her eyes. Thorin was the best harp player she had ever heard. The music calmed her and flushed out any evil thought in her mind. Within moments she was asleep. Thorin continued to play on to keep himself awake. The sky was beginning to lighten up which meant the sun would soon be rising and they could continue on their way. Thorin began to tidy up the camp and pack everything onto the ponies. As he was packing up his harp, he heard a rustling noise. He immediately stopped what he was doing to listen. Thorin thought he was imagining things, but then he heard several twigs crack. He walked over to Pullena and woke her up.

"Pullena we are being watched." Thorin whispered.

She slowly got up and drew her sword. The two of them kept listening to see what direction the noise was coming from. They were standing back to back to make sure all of their surroundings were being watched. Out of nowhere, a group of young Dwarves jumped from the rock and ambushed them. Pullena could feel Thorin letting down his weapon. Suspecting he was part of the ambush she turned her sword at him.

"Bloody hell, Frerin! " Thorin yelled. What in Durin's name are you doing out here?" Thorin was so mad he did not even notice that Pullena was pointing her sword at him.

"Oh come now, brother. We are in no danger." said a very young Dwarf.

"Brother?" Pullena asked. Frerin looked over his brother's shoulder to the beautiful dwarf woman.

"Well, hello there. My, my Thorin I did not know you had a lady friend." Frerin bowed to her. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Frerin son of Thr…" Thorin quickly grabbed Frerin and dragged him away from the campsite.

"All of you come here now." Thorin commanded to the rest of the young men. "You do not tell her your true identity. She does not even know who I am."

"Your wish is my command Prince Thorin II." said Frerin spitefully. The two other boys started laughing. "So is she yours or may I use my charm to win her over?" asked Frerin.

"There will be none of that. Why are you out this far from the kingdom? Father would kill us both if he knew you were here." said Thorin.

"Well, if you must know, Father sent me out here because word got back to him of a little skirmish in Esgaroth today. The whole kingdom knows about it and they know you are with a young lady."

"There is nothing going on between us. She hired me as a body guard to take her to The Lonely Mountain. Pullena is to be my head servant."

"Well thank goodness! We all were starting to think that Thorin the Terrible had grown soft and fallen into the traps of love."

"Do not reveal to her your true identities. As a matter of fact it is best that you keep your mouth shut as much as possible for the remainder of the trip." The group walked back over to Pullena. "I am sorry about that." Thorin said. "This is my younger brother Frerin and his travelling companions Dwalin and Rogan."

"Please to meet you." she said. "Well since we are all here and very much awake, shall we journey to Dale?" She mounted her pony and began riding.

Brother, since we have been walking all night would you permit me to ride that noble pony?" asked Frerin.

"No." Thorin mounted the pony and began trotting away. The group made their way to Dale. Frerin and his friends begged Thorin to stop for a break, but he never would. Pullena would urge him to stop, but Thorin insisted that they needed to learn how to be men. Eventually, Thorin slowed down to give the young men a break. Frerin seized this chance to try to win over Pullena's heart.

"So, Pullena, that is a very lovely name by the way. What does it mean?" asked Frerin. Pullena did not even look at him and kept walking ahead her pony following close behind her.

"It depends on where you are from, but in most of our dialects it means "admirable"."

"Rightfully so, Pullena. I have not seen one with your beauty before." Frerin thought he was being quite sly. Thorin just looked at him and shook his head in embarrassment. "What are your plans once we get to the mountain?"

Pullena was starting to be vexed by his childish ways. "I am going to serve the Prince. There will be no time for recreation I am afraid."

"That's a shame. There are many things to do in Erebor, but there is one particular thing that I know would suit your fancy." Pullena looked down at the lad and he winked at her. Male dwarves are very persistent when they find a fair woman and Frerin was no exception to that.

"There it is." said Thorin trying to redirect the conversation. Pullena looked out into the distance and saw Dale. It was very beautiful and much better kept than Esgaroth. The streets did not look to be very busy, but she could see a lot of activity. "The city of Dale, this is just an overflow of the wealth inside of Erebor. Men, we will meet you at Lord Girion's house this evening." Thorin and Pullena took off in a gallop towards the city. Thorin wanted to show her around since she would be making many trips there while on duty. They made their way to the front gate of the city. Two guards came to attention and walked towards Thorin.

"Good morning, Lord Thorin. How do you do?" asked a guard.

"I am exhausted gentlemen and I would like to get to Lord Girion's hall to rest."

"Open the gates!" the guard yelled to the gatekeeper. The gates slowly opened to reveal the most beautiful city Pullena had ever seen. If Dale was the overflow of the wealth of Erebor then she could not begin to fathom what Erebor would be like. The town looked like it was built from gold. Pullena was in complete awe. They walked into the gates and onto the main road. It was not as crowded as Laketown, but there was a lot of activity going on that day. It was a very beautiful day and the two dwarves were taking in their surroundings. Children were running around playing with the various toys they possessed. Dale was known for its toy market and rightfully so. Some of the toys even possessed magical properties.

"So what do we do now?" asked Pullena.

"I just thought I would show you around and help you get used to the town. You will probably be sent here for errands often. Let's sell these ponies so we have some spending money." They journeyed over to the stables and talked to the keeper. Thorin was surprised that he sold the ponies for more than he paid for them. They had a young boy deliver their travel packs to Lord Girion's hall so they could walk around without those burdens.

"Are you sure that our belongings will not be stolen?" Pullena asked. She put the money from the ponies in a small purse.

"I doubt the lad will take anything. So, where to begin? Let's go to the market." He held out his arm for Pullena to take. At first she was hesitant and thought that it was rather bold for Thorin to do that, but nevertheless she gave him her arm. As they were journeying down the road Pullena could not help, but notice her surroundings. The streets were made of pure white stones. There was not a speck of dirt on them. She then noticed the golden buildings that were accented with all kinds of blue and green cloths. People of all ages were dressed in purples, teals, and gold; all colors of wealth. Pullena had seen a lot of Middle Earth on her way to Erebor. The world looked like a dreary colorless place which made Dale very refreshing to her. What Pullena failed to notice in all of her wondering were the people staring her and Thorin down. Everyone began to whisper amongst themselves that Prince Thorin was walking around town with a young woman.

When they got to the market, Pullena became distracted by all of the goods for sale. The first thing that caught her eye was a beautiful purple cloak. It was hanging up and flailing in the wind. All she could think about was how its dark purple color would complement her hair and eyes.

"… and that is all that I know to tell you for now." Thorin finished. Pullena was so mesmerized by the cloak that she never heard Thorin speak.

"I am sorry, Thorin. I was distracted. Would you please repeat what you said?" Pullena's face became red with embarrassment.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes, I just saw something out of the corner of my eye that got my attention. I was distracted by that purple cloak over there." Thorin looked over to the cloak and then back to Pullena. The look of longing on her face made him smile. She was a very interesting person no doubt. Thorin knew he had to keep his distance from her since she would be his servant, but he wanted nothing more than to get to know her. His opinion of her had changed since the night before.

"Would you like to have it?" he asked her.

"No, I really shouldn't. I don't want to stand out too much. After all, I am just a servant and shall remain as such."

"Let's not forget that up until recently you were a great warrior." Thorin teased.

"Not anymore. That part of my life is over." Pullena turned away. She looked like she was about to cry. Thorin was going to say something, but he thought it best just to let it go for now. "My apologies." Pullena said. "Shall we continue on?" They walked down the street until they came upon a wedding. There were streamers and flower petals flying all over the place. It was hard for the two small dwarves to maneuver their way around the festivities, but they managed. They wondered around for a couple more hours and decided to sit down for a meal. They went into The Journeyman's Inn for a bite to eat. The inn was much better than the pub they met at back in Laketown. The whole interior was more richly decorated and it smelled much more pleasant. They took a seat in a corner table to have some privacy. After they had ordered their food and began their meal Thorin wished to get to know more about Pullena against his better judgment.

"I am sorry if this is to rash to ask, but I was wondering why you were removed from the Iron Hills and sent here." Pullena took one last bite of her bread before she answered.

"Well… I honestly have no idea. I did not even do anything wrong."

"What happened the day you were sent away?"

"Nothing happened. I was awakened and told to pack my things and that I was to be moved to Erebor. Lord Dain had sent out a rider during the night to tell King Thror of my arrival. The day before we were escorting Lord Dain back home from the Grey Mountains, but nothing happened. We had a very successful journey without any disturbances whatsoever."

"Did Dain act strangely at all?" Thorin was very confused and did not know why his cousin would do such a cruel thing to such a young dwarf.

"He wouldn't talk to me. Something must have happened the night he was in the Grey Mountains. Why else would he not talk to me? I was one of the best guards that he had."

Thorin wanted to dig deeper into the situation, but Frerin, Dwalin, and Rogan entered the inn.

"There you are, brother! Shall we move this joyful reunion to Lord Girion's hall? I do believe that there is a bad storm approaching.

"Very well." said a vexed Thorin. The five of them left and started walking to the edge of the city. On their way to the hall Pullena stopped very suddenly.

"What is that?" asked Pullena. Thorin followed her eyes to a very familiar sight. For the first time in her life, Pullena saw a Dwarfish wind lance.

"It is called a wind lance. We built a series of them throughout the city in the event of a dragon attack. It shoots black arrows, which are strong enough to penetrate dragon scales."

"Do you expect a dragon attack?" Pullena became somewhat worried. She had never seen a dragon or witnessed an attack from one, but she heard enough stories to know she never wanted to see one in her lifetime.

"It is highly unlikely, but it is best to be prepared just in case." Frerin chimed in. They made their way to the hall where Lord Girion greeted them himself.

"Welcome my good friends! It is good to see you all again. Please come in and get comfortable."

"Thank you, Lord Girion." Thorin said as he hung up his cloak. "It looks like we will be here until tomorrow morning. There is quite a storm brewing outside."

"Indeed." said Girion. "Now I know young master Frerin and his two friends, but I am afraid I have never met you young lady." Girion was quite puzzled. He had never seen such a beautiful Dwarf woman in all of his life. Usually they were fat and had a lot of facial hair, but Pullena was the polar opposite of that.

"My name is Pullena." She bowed to him. "It is an honor to meet you Lord Girion. I have heard many great things about you. Thank you for allowing us to seek lodging in your home." Pullena was shocked that Thorin had not given the proper thanks to Girion since his ranking was far above theirs.

"How did you end up with this group of vagabonds?" asked Girion.

"They are my bodyguards. I hired them to get me to Erebor safely and they are doing a very good job so far." Girion noticed the blood stains on her shirt.

"It looks like you have run into some trouble. Are you well?"

"I am as well as to be expected, but I desperately need to clean this. We ran into some trouble in Esgaroth."

"That is what I need to discuss with you Girion." said Thorin. "Pullena, why don't you go upstairs and make yourself comfortable; Dwalin will show you to your room for the night. Pullena bowed to Lord Girion and followed Dwalin up the stairwell. Thorin could not help, but watch as she ascended up the stairs. Girion noticed Thorin's fatigue and decided to brighten him up a bit.

"Come, my friend. Let's talk over a couple of ales. Thorin followed Girion down a long narrow hall leading to the dining room. The room was small for a lord's house, but there was a large window in the center of the outer wall overlooking the city. Thorin had a clear view of the Lonely Mountain. He desired nothing more than to be home. A servant boy approached the wooden table and served them both their ales. "Why don't you tell me what's troubling you lad?" Girion looked up from his glass to give Thorin his attention.

"I was followed by two men from the Grey Mountains to Esgaroth. I do not know what quarrel they had against me, but they were interested in nothing save my demise. There have been many attempts by orcs and wicked men to wipe out the line of Durin. I am afraid that another hunt is being organized."

"It is worse than that I am afraid." Girion pulled a piece of cloth out of his pocket. "This was found by one of my messengers. It had been dropped by someone on the road." Thorin picked up the worn piece of fabric. The language written on it was some sort of ancient speech that was not used my many people.

"What does it say?" asked Thorin.

"I am not sure, but I know it is some sort of black speech. Thorin, my son was attacked today and his attackers tried to kill him. I am assuming that they may have had something to do with the men who attacked you. I cannot have my son and only heir in danger. I know that I cannot offer you much, but I would like to have a mithril suit made for him."

"Girion those are very expensive. Just send the boy to live in Erebor." Thorin reasoned.

"I cannot live every day wondering whether or not my son is safe. Knowing that he was wearing Mithril would calm me." Girion gave Thorin a large emerald necklace. "This is all I have Prince Thorin. Will you please craft me a mithril suit?" Thorin knew that Erebor would be fine without Girion's money, but he knew his grandfather would be mad if he handed out a free mithril suit. Thorin accepted the necklace and agreed to make the suit for Girion. The two men talked into the wee hours of the night. By the time Thorin got to the guest room, Pullena and the three young dwarves were soundly sleeping. The room had several small beds each with their own little table so their belongings could be stored. Of course, Lord Girion made sure that the room he reserved for his Dwarf company had a balcony with a good view The Lonely Mountain. Pullena had left a candle lit for Thorin so he could see where he was going. Pullena woke up when she heard Thorin getting into bed.

"I know you have not slept for a couple of days so if you need to sleep in then I do not mind staying a few extra hours in the morning." Thorin blew out the candle.

"Thank you, Pullena." He said as he lied down.

"I am sorry, but I do not understand what you mean."

"Thank you for being concerned about me. I know that the Prince is going to be honored to have a servant like you. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Thorin." Pullena drifted back to sleep fairly quickly. A few moments later Thorin had finally started to slip off to sleep, but was woken up when Pullena jumped out of her bed screaming. She quickly ran outside onto the balcony and looked upon The Lonely Mountain. Thorin got up and rushed to her side. Frerin and Dwalin jumped up ready to battle.

"What on Middle Earth is the matter? This is the second time you have awakened in a panic. What did you see?" Pullena's gaze was fixed on the mountain. Thorin put his hand on her arm to try to bring her back to reality. Pullena was shaking and sweating profusely. Her snow white face turned to Thorin. The only words Thorin could understand her say were; "I saw fire."


	3. The Kingdom of Erebor

**Author's note: **I am definitely going to be updating this chapter. I would like to add some dialogue as they walk up to the doors. I cannot even begin to imagine the layout of Erebor, but hopefully when the last movie is released we can see more of its interior so that I may give a better visual description. - Em Jade

The Kingdom of Erebor

The sun began to shine through the windows in Lord Girion's home. Pullena had awoken before her traveling companions to pack up their belongings. She then ventured down to the kitchen and returned with water for the boys to wash their faces with.

"Frerin, it is time to wake up."

"Good morning, Pullena. Are you doing better this morning?" He stretched his arms out before he got up from his bed.

"Yes, thank you Frerin. Now get Rogan and Dwalin up. Breakfast is ready and we will be leaving soon."

"Wake up lads there is food waiting for us." Pullena was mad that he yelled. She looked over to Thorin who was still sound asleep. The three boys quickly got dressed, washed up, and left the room. After she had made the beds and packed the rest of their things she awoke Thorin. He looked so peaceful that she wanted to leave him be.

"Thorin, it is time to wake up. Breakfast is ready and I brought some water for you to wash your face with."

"What time is it?" he asked as he sat up to stretch.

"The sun has been up for about three hours." Pullena looked away whilst Thorin dressed himself.

"There will probably be nothing left for us." He looked back to give her a smile. This would most likely be the last casual conversation they would have before she discovered his true identity. He remembered the conversation they had a few nights ago when she said she trusted him. "She will never trust me again." he thought to himself.

"What is Erebor like, Thorin? Are the tales about its beauty true?" Thorin sat down on the bed across from her.

"There are no words to describe the grandeur of Erebor, but do not worry because we will arrive within the hour." Thorin stood up and held his hand out for Pullena to take. "Are you ready to leave?"

"As ready as I shall ever be." The two of them walked down the stairwell and into the kitchen where their companions were busy stuffing their faces with food. Girion sat at the head of the table conversing with a servant about his plans for the day.

"Ah, good morning, Lord Thorin. Are you all leaving for the mountain soon?"

"Yes, and thank you once again for your hospitality Lord Girion. I assure you that your order will be the top of my priorities and it should be delivered to you at the end of next month."

"Send my greetings to King Thror and Prince Thrain."

"I will deliver your message to my lords personally. If you would excuse us we must be off." Thorin bowed his head to Lord Girion. When he noticed his brother was not being reverent, he nudged him with his elbow as hard as he could.

"Ouch! Oh… sorry. Thank you for your hospitality Lord Girion." Frerin and his companions stood up and began making their way out of the house. Thorin and Pullena turned to leave when Lord Girion spoke up again.

"How is your wound, Pullena?"

"I cannot even feel its presence this morning. Thank you for your concern, my lord." She curtsied to him.

"Well, luckily you will be safe at home soon enough. Make sure you take good care of her Thorin. I wish you all safe travels."

"Thank you my lord." Pullena followed Thorin out of the house and onto the streets. All of the craftsmen and tinkers from Erebor were already out in the streets selling their goods. Thorin tried desperately to avoid any confrontation with them since they would know who he was. They rounded the corner onto a very wide street that ended at a large iron gate. As the gates opened, The Lonely Mountain was unveiled. The closer they got to the mountain the more intimidated Pullena felt. She began to ponder on whether or not she would adjust to the culture and the vastness of Erebor.

"Are you alright, Pullena? You have not talked much today." Frerin said. "Are you ill?"

"No, Frerin. Thank you for your concern. I am a little stressed by the changes being made in my life at the moment, that's all. The fact that I shall be meeting the sovereigns of one of the most powerful kingdoms in Middle Earth is also bothering me."

The trip up to the doors was very beautiful. King Thror hired gardeners to keep the grounds looking clean and trimmed. All sorts of exotic flowers grew on the side of the road. At one point they passed a lilac colored bush completely covered with yellow butterflies. There was not a cloud in the sky on that day and the air felt so pure. As they grew closer to the gate Pullena gazed upon the front door in complete awe. It was the most beautiful shade of green she had ever seen. The reflection coming off of it was so bright that Pullena had to cover her eyes. The two giant stone statues of King Thror standing guard at the gate startled her. Pullena became dizzy just trying to take in the enormity of the front doors. A turnkey stood guard and opened the front doors without even questioning them.

"That was odd. I thought they kept high security here?" Pullena asked.

"I travel very often and the guard must have recognized me." Thorin knew he would not be able to keep his secret much longer. He knew that Pullena would no longer act her true self once she discovered he was the prince. When the gates had finally opened, Pullena refused to look inside. She turned around and looked upon the world one last time.

"This is going to be a grand journey." She turned around and almost fainted when she saw the beauty that was beyond the threshold of the entrance. Erebor was the most beautiful place she had ever been. It looked as if it had no end and kept going forever. Golden rivers ran through the green stone walls. From what she could see, it looked as if the whole kingdom was connected by a series of stairs and walkways. She looked over the side of the walkway that she was standing on and saw the thousands of miners scaling the mountain wall hunting for some of the finest treasures in the world. They looked like a starry night with all of their lanterns dispersing light. Stalactites clung to the ceiling of the mountain hundreds of feet above them. She could see windows carved into the wall which were the homes of the dwarves.

"Erebor is beautiful is it not?" Thorin noticed how perplexed Pullena looked as she surveyed the grandeur of the richest kingdom in the world. "We need to head to the throne room so that you may meet the prince and get settled in." They started to walk on a road embedded with diamonds and sapphire. As they approached the first set of stairs, Pullena slowly put her hand on the solid gold railing and caressed it as she walked further up the stairs. The amazement in her eyes made Thorin smile. Pullena thought it quite odd that the people they passed bowed to them. Everyone looked so well-dressed; even the miners who were just getting off of their shifts looked fashionable. Everyone was wearing greens, gold, and turquoise. Pullena felt embarrassed by the rags she was wearing and felt like she would never belong to the luxurious lifestyle people lived there.

They entered a small hallway that led into a gigantic empty room. It was a very long room with a rounded ceiling that went up three hundred feet at the least. It was completely bare and a couple of men we carving out places in the walls to inlay it with gems. "What is this?" asked Pullena.

"This is a new wing of the palace. It is going to be The Gallery of Kings and we plan to have it completed in a couple of years. There will be tapestries hung on these walls that measure hundreds of yards. The first thing they plan to do is erect a statue of King Thror over there in the corner. Right now they are carving the form for it."

"The form?" Pullena asked.

"Yes. It is to be made out of solid gold." Thorin said proudly. He truly was proud of his family and how they were running the kingdom.

It took them a whole two minutes to walk from one end of the room to the other. They walked into another very cramped hallway that was lit by torches. Thorin stopped the group in the middle of the hallway.

"Are you ready to meet the king?" he asked.

"I do not believe I ever will be." Pullena looked very pale.

"I just want to warn you that this room is very large, but do not get overwhelmed." For Pullena's sake, Thorin walked slowly up the tall staircase. Pullena felt her heart stop when she saw the vastness of the throne room from the top of the stairs. There was only one long, narrow path leading to the throne. Several giant stone statues were facing towards the throne, which was carved from one enormous stalactite of gold that funneled downward from the ceiling. Pullena was so nervous that her whole body quaked. As they drew closer, Pullena could start to see the king's face. He was much older than she expected him to be. His eyes were as bright as Thorin's.

"His eyes are identical to Thorin's!" she thought to herself. When the five of them were close enough to the throne they bowed. The king stood up with his arms outstretched.

"Welcome back, my lads." he bellowed. "How are my favorite grandsons?" Pullena shot a look to Thorin immediately.

"Grandsons!" she exclaimed in her now racing mind.

"It is good to be home grandfather." Thorin said as he embraced the king. Frerin followed after him.

"Frerin I am so proud of you for carrying out your father's orders for once. He will be happy to hear that you are safe and sound once he returns from the mines." Thror patted Frerin on the shoulders. Pullena was in so much shock that she remained bowed with her head down.

"Welcome, young lady." said Thror. "I was told that you and my grandson Thorin were causing quite a conundrum in Esgaroth the other day.

"I am truly sorry, Your Royal Highness I did not mean to degrade your grandson's reputation.

"You have done nothing wrong, my child. Please rise. What brings you to Erebor?" Thror made his way back to the throne and sat down.

"My name is Pullena, I was sent here on Lord Dain's recommendation. I was informed that I am to be hired as the head servant to Prince… um… Thorin." She was still struck by the fact she had been with the prince this whole time. Her mind began to wander back on all of the rude comments she had made from the conversation in the alley to her opinion of the length of his beard.

"Oh, of course! I was informed of your coming about a week ago. How were your travels?"

"We ran into some trouble in Esgaroth, but I am sure that Prince Thorin would like to tell you of that later." She moved her hand over her wound.

"Have you been injured child?" Pullena could see that Thror was genuinely concerned for her health.

"I will take her to the infirmary after we get her settled into her quarters." Thorin chimed in.

"Are you aware of your duties young lady?" asked Thror.

"Not exactly, Your Highness. I am trained for the military and the ways of a servant are new to me."

"Very well, I will have my servant brief you on your new duties and proper protocol in the morning."

"Yes, my lord." Pullena bowed to him and followed Thorin down the narrow walkway. The statues seemed to follow her with their eyes as they walked towards the hallway. Pullena did not speak to Thorin the entire time they walked to her quarters. Once they got into the main court they began to walk up a staircase that led to the servants' quarters. It was a darkened hallway with several different doors. Thorin walked to the one at the end of the hall and opened it for her. Pullena was very happy with what she saw. It was a very decent room for a servant's home. There was a wooden bed in the corner and at the end of it sat a large trunk for storage. The blankets were made from some of the finest silk in the land. A vanity stood in the middle of the left wall and directly across from it was a writing desk. Pullena walked over to the bed and set her things down.

"I am sorry for lying to you this whole time. I hope that I have not betrayed your trust." Thorin said.

"No. It is I who should be sorry. I know the names of the rulers here and I knew that the prince's name was Thorin, but I did not think that you could be him. Back in the Iron Hills I know many people who have named their son Dain, so I just assumed you were named after the prince."

"Please do not feel like you have done wrong. Now, would you like me to help you unpack or would you like to be left alone?"

"If you do not mind I believe I shall rest for a while. We have had a very interesting journey and we both deserve some rest."

"Very well. A servant will be here to wake you up in the morning to begin your training. If you need anything just let one of your neighbors know. This whole hallway is women only so do not be afraid." Thorin turned to walk out of the room.

"Thank you for everything Thorin." Pullena began to pull out the gold coins she promised him. "I promised you payment."

"Pullena I do not need your money. Please keep it for yourself. Have a good evening and goodnight." With that, he turned and exited the room closing the door behind him. Pullena unpacked her belongings and placed them in the trunk at the end of her bed. She then pulled down the silk blanket to unveil golden sheets. They felt so soft against her skin that she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the feathered pillow.

Balin stood on the overlook atop the doors looking over the city of Dale. He was very glad for winter to be over and invited the warmth that the sun was providing that day. The wind was blowing ever so gently, but still brought the wonderful fragrances from the flowers to appeal to his senses.

"Captain Balin, Prince Thorin is here to see you." said a guard.

"Welcome back, lad! How was your trip to the Grey Mountains?" He gave Thorin a pat on the shoulder.

"It was very productive meeting. I was told to report to you that the soldiers are enjoying the axes you commissioned for them. You know they tried to pawn the princess off on me again; that poor girl. I thought she was the prince until she stood up and I could see she was wearing a magenta dress."

Balin laughed at this. "Oh the problems us dwarf men have to deal with. My mother told me that I called her Da for the first two years of my life. Perhaps someday our women will become more attractive."

"My traveling companion was a sight for sore eyes."

"I heard you were travelling with a young lady. Ran into some trouble in Esgaroth did you not?"

"Yes. That is what I wanted to talk to you about. Have you heard any murmurings of some strangers wondering around Rhovanion causing trouble? I was being followed from the Grey Mountains to Esgaroth."

"I have not heard anything out of the ordinary. It is hard to call anyone a stranger around here with all of the merchants and traders coming and going. Did they attack you?"

"They tried to kill us, but they were only able to wound Pullena, she is the girl I was telling you about." He shuttered just thinking about how crowded Esgaroth was that day. "We were only able to kill one of the men. Lord Girion was telling me that his son was also attacked. I believe it is no coincidence these attacks happened on the same day."

"These types of men usually stay on the outskirts of towns where they can be about the same distance away from each of their targets. I will send out my best scouts to have a look around. In the meantime I think it wise not to send you on any more diplomatic missions until we find out who these men are working for."

"I am not saying this to anger you, but you should know that Dwalin snuck out to help Frerin look for me. You will need to keep an eye out for those two. I fear my brother will never become a mature adult."

"All in good time, lad. Now if you will excuse me, I must sound the shift change. Why don't you go rest for a while and meet me for a drink later in the evening?"

"Thank you, friend I could always use a drink." The two of them laughed as they parted ways. Thorin walked back down into the main court of Erebor to take a flight of stairs that led to a guarded entrance.

"Welcome back, Prince Thorin." One of the guards said.

"Thank you. If you gentlemen do not mind I would like to rest for a while." The guards stepped aside to let him through. Before he ascended the stairs, Thorin realized he forgot to tell them about Pullena. "Gentlemen, I have a new servant and her name is Pullena. She will most likely come here early in the morning. Please do not give her a hard time."

"Yes, my lord." Thorin walked into his room and immediately collapsed onto his bed. He began to think about the events that had happened the last few days. It vexed him that he had to make a scene in Esgaroth. He began to think about the men to see if they had any noticeable traits to them. As far as he knew, they did not have any markings on them and their accents were not foreign to Esgaroth. He began to replay the chase in his mind. Pullena seemed like such a remarkable woman. Even though she had been horribly injured, she had the strength and courage to stand up to the second man. Luckily he got her to safety and they sped off without having to fight… Thorin sat up in a panic. "We did not kill the second man!"


	4. The Hearts of Men

**Author's note: I apologize that it took so long for me to post a new chapter, but I got writer's block. After I went and watched the triple feature yesterday ideas began to flow through my head. I am so excited to write the later portions of the book! -Em Jade**

The Hearts of Men

Middle Earth truly is a sight to behold. There is a breath taking view no matter which direction you look to. Every moment from sunrise to sunset can be filled with beauty, but it is the night that you must worry about. While all of the innocent of Middle Earth sleep, the corrupted rear their ugly heads. A couple hundred leagues south of the Lonely Mountain, a group of evil men had assembled. As all of the men were conversing, a man in a black hooded cloak appeared in the midst of them.

"Great leaders of the North thank you for gathering here tonight!" he roared. "I can assure you that your time will not be spent in vain. If you have been summoned here tonight then that means my master believes you have the potential of becoming powerful leaders in the new world."

"What are you talking about?" yelled a man from the crowd. "I did not leave my people to hear some madman give me his plan for domination."

"Brothers please listen to what I have to say. We have the opportunity to rise up from our pathetic little settlements and become the most powerful people in the world."

"This is ridiculous! I do not know about you all, but I am returning home." A few of the other men stood to follow him. When the man was several feet away from the group he suddenly burst into fire. Everyone quickly turned towards the screaming inferno. They watched as he fell to the ground and no matter what he did the flames kept blazing. Finally, the screams stopped and the man went limp. Out of the shadows, a hooded figure appeared and walked over the burning carcass.

"Would anyone else like to leave?" the shadow said. The men who had started to leave quickly turned around and returned to their seats. "That's what I thought." He began to walk in the midst of the circle. "Gentlemen, I would like to let you know that many more of you will die before this night is over and if you try to leave then it will cost you your life. Before we begin let me introduce myself. I am Bydak son of Dykona. You see, a powerful force has awoken; one that has not been seen for more than a millennia. This power has come to me in my slumber and revealed to me a master plan for complete annihilation of the rulers of Middle Earth. Without leadership this world will be in utter chaos, at which time this power will rise and make us the leaders in his new world. I have already had a gathering similar to this one and only a few had the courage to join me and they have already been doing great work for me. I sent them out to begin killing some great leaders just to the north of us. Unfortunately there are many kingdoms and regions of Middle Earth that have a ruler and I need more men to help me dispose of them." Bydak waited patiently as the men talked amongst each other to weigh out the pros and cons of a venture such as this one.

"Did I mention that if you successfully kill a sovereign and his bloodline then you will be given possession over his domain?" Bydak added.

"When do we attack, my lord?" said a voice.

"That is the attitude I am looking for! As I mentioned before I have already began my attack. I sent six men to the Grey Mountains and Esgaroth at any moment they will return with the heads of Prince Thorin of Erebor and Lord Girion of Dale's only heir." As soon as he said that mass chaos erupted from the crowd. Men began to argue amongst themselves about whether or not they should face death and try to leave.

"We are all dead men anyways!" some shouted.

"You bloody fool! Why did you make an attack on Erebor!" a man exclaimed. "No riches are worth this!"

"King Thror will not know who to attack." Bydak roared. "He will be led to believe that they were just your typical bandits by several false witnesses I paid."

"Then he will come for our lands because of you!" a man yelled. "He will annihilate us!"

"If you get to King Thror first then he will not come after you. I know all of you doubt the legitimacy of this noble crusade, but soon you will see the reward of those that have brought me the head of Prince Thorin."

"My lord, Bydak!" a man yelled in the distance. "He was running as fast as he could despite his injured leg. He was covered in blood.

"Perfect timing!" Bydak said. "My son have you brought me the head of the prince?" The man fell to his knees in front of Bydak. He could barely breathe from all of the running he just did.

"I got here as soon as I could sir. We did not kill the prince." Everyone began to murmur again. Bydak was enraged by this and began to look around for the other men he sent out. "The dwarves were to fast my lord!" the man continued.

"Where are the others?" asked Bydak.

"The four men you sent to Dale are all dead. They were killed by guards. My friend was killed by that bloody Dwarf woman!"

"Woman!" Bydak roared. "You let a woman ruin my plans? You worthless dog!" Bydak raised his hand to strike the man down with fire.

"Wait! There is more!" the man whimpered. "I followed them. The woman was asleep and the prince had his guard down. I went in to make the kill, but three others showed up. I overheard the prince talking to another fellow who happened to be his brother."

"Fool! Do you think that I do not know this? I also know that they have a younger sister. I am all knowing!" In the blink of an eye the man was turned to ashes. Bydak cast a circle of fire around all of them making everyone panic.

"If you want to join me then come with me." Bydak walked through the wall of fire without burning a single hair on his head. Several other men hesitantly followed him unharmed by the inferno around them. By the time his followers had made it through there were ten men left standing inside the circle.

"Is this your choice?" Bydak asked.

"We will never join you! I do not want to be remembered as an evil man. You all will be overthrown!" Bydak shot more flames from his hand which burned all ten of the men in an instant. Bydak then waved his hand and the fire disappeared.

"Men this is the promising beginning of a new age. You will now journey to the forgotten corners of Middle Earth and build your armies."

"What are you talking about?" a man asked.

"My master has made arrangements with the orcs to unite with us. We will be unstoppable!" The men began to cheer for Bydak and praised his name.

"Where do we attack first my lord?" asked Bydak's assistant.

"We will summon our army then we go to Rhovanion. We take Erebor first."

Pullena woke up suddenly from the knock on her door. She felt very comfortable in her silk sheets and had no desire to get out of bed. She very slowly removed the blankets so as to feel the soft sheets caress her skin.

"Wake up!" A voice came from behind the door.

"Just a moment!" Pullena said back. She put on her robe and opened the door. To her shock a young dwarf woman fell across the threshold and straight to the ground. Pullena immediately helped the poor girl up who was groaning and cursing to herself.

"A thousand pardons miss!" Pullena exclaimed. "I had no idea you were leaning on the door. Is there something that you needed?"

"I am here to brief you on your duties as a servant to a sovereign! We are very late so please make haste while you are getting ready."

"Yes, of course." Pullena began to run around her room putting her clothes on and brushing her hair. "I never got your name, miss."

"The name is Nerraa." Nerraa started to walk around Pullena's room and look through her belongings.

"What are you doing?" Pullena stood up from putting her shoes on. "You cannot just come in my room and start looking through my possessions." Nerraa walked over to the door and opened it.

"I apologize. I was not trying to steal or offend you. I just like to look around. We better head to the kitchen and start cooking breakfast for our masters." Pullena put on her shawl and blew out the candle on her trunk.

"How long have you been working here in Erebor?"

"I was born and raised here. I know this place like the back of my hand. Watch this." Nerraa took off in full sprint with her eyes shut tightly. Pullena took off after her. They made their way out of the servants' quarters and down the winding staircase that led out into the commons area. Pullena was still not comfortable with the idea that there were no railings on the walkways. One slip could send you plummeting several hundred feet to your death yet Nerraa continued to run full sprint on the walkways with her eyes shut.

"Nerraa, please stop this!" Luckily, it was still a long while before dawn so the halls were empty with the exception of a few night guards. Pullena could not believe that someone as spontaneous and unstable as Nerraa was a head servant. The chase continued for a few more minutes down many hallways and stairs and walkways. They had run up two levels and down four until they were almost in the armory. Nerraa made a sharp turn to the right. Pullena tried to make the turn quickly, but she slipped and began to slide towards the edge of the walkway.

"Nerraa!" Pullena exclaimed as she slid over the edge.

"Oh no you don't." a voice cried out. Someone grabbed Pullena's hand and pulled her back up onto the walkway. "Are you alright?" Pullena looked to thank her rescuer and realized that her rescuer was none other than Frerin himself.

"Thank you, Frerin, your timing is impeccable." Pullena stood up and began to brush herself off.

"I see you have met Nerraa. She is a very interesting character is she not?"

"How in Durin's name is she King Thror's servant?" Frerin began to laugh at her question.

"She is just a crazed maniac that my grandfather has compassion for. She may seem completely out of her mind, but she is a very loyal servant. By the way, she tried to kill you just now."

"I beg your pardon, Lord Frerin?"

"Nerraa has been completely obsessed with Thorin since they were children. She must be jealous of you since you will be working close to him. Do not worry she will not try to hurt you anymore. She is probably in the kitchen as we speak. Just continue down this walkway until you get to a set of stairs, they will lead you into a hall. The kitchen should be the first door on your left."

"Thank you for everything, Frerin." She turned to walk away from him. "By the way, what are you doing up so early?"

"I never went to bed."

"Well what were you doing all night?" Frerin just laughed at her and walked away. Pullena followed Frerin's directions and walked into the kitchen to find Nerraa scrambling some eggs. It was the largest kitchen Pullena had ever seen. All of the walls were covered with different types of cooking ware. On the wall to her left there was a large stone fireplace for cooking. Pullena could see an open threshold on the wall adjacent to it which was a large pantry.

"It is about time you showed up! Get the fires going quickly." Nerraa was acting as if nothing took place a few minutes ago. Pullena did not really know what to think about Nerraa, but she decided that as long as she was alone with her in a kitchen where she had access to knives then she would not turn her back to her. Pullena decided to trick her into thinking she was not interested in Thorin. If there was one thing that Pullena ever learned from serving Lord Dain it was that you should always be on good terms with unpredictable people.

"I cannot believe that I have to serve that Prince Thorin!" Pullena began. "If he is such a grown man then why is he not down here cooking his own breakfast?" Pullena began to stack the wood for the fire.

"Women cook for their husbands every day. This is no different." Nerraa had a blank look on her face. It looked as if Pullena would have to act like she abhorred Thorin to get this servant to believe she was not interested in him.

"Well, Miss Nerraa, I can assure you that Thorin is not my husband." The both of them began to laugh. "Could you imagine?"

"I would not be quick to joke about that. Did you know that King Thror married his former servant?"

"No, I did not." Pullena very cautiously began to light the fire since Nerraa was now holding a knife to slice some meat. "Where is the queen now? Are we to serve her as well?"

"The queen died giving birth to Prince Thrain. Likewise Thrain's wife died giving birth to his youngest child. There is some bad luck in that family when it comes to childbirth."

"Well, all the more reason for us not to get romantically involved with Prince Thorin." Pullena grabbed a knife and began cutting some fresh fruit. The women cooked in silence for about ten minutes. Pullena could not even begin to imagine what was going on in Nerraa's mind in the silence.

"What brings you to Erebor?" asked Nerraa.

"I was sent here by Lord Dain. I do not know why."

"Well you must have done something to upset him." Nerraa began to plate the food and place them on trays.

"If I did indeed offend my lord in some way then he has not told me. I have done no wrong."

"I am sure you did something." Nerraa forcibly put the tray in Pullena's hand and motioned for her to follow. They walked back up to the commons area. This time there were miners walking about to get to their jobs. The two servants walked up several flights of stairs. By the time they reached the upmost level of walkways Pullena was completely exhausted. She had to set the tray down and catch her breath before she could take another step.

"Do not worry, lass. You will eventually get use to making this trek. There is the door to Thorin's room. Just knock on it and tell him that you are about to enter so he can make sure he is dressed. You will wait until you are told to come in. Once you are inside close the door immediately and wish him a good morning. Make sure that you do not make eye contact until he answers you back. Then place the tray on the table and ask him if there is anything else he needs. If he needs something then wait for me in the hallway. If he does not need anything then make his bed or draw him a bath or whatever you believe he needs. You understand all that?"

Knowing Thorin's personality, Pullena highly doubted she needed to be that legalistic. Still she gave a very dramatic response to make Nerraa feel understood.

"Yes, Nerraa I shall do my best. I do not think I will ever be as good a servant as you. Your wisdom is far beyond me."

"Yes it is." Nerraa walked further down the hall and disappeared around a corner. Pullena let out a laugh that she had been desperately trying to conceal since she first saw Nerraa in the kitchen. She then collected herself and knocked on Thorin's door. There was no answer.

"Is he still asleep?" Pullena asked herself. She knocked on the door louder, but there was still no answer. "My Lord Thorin, are you in there? Are you well?" There was silence. "My Lord?" she implored. The door began to open very slowly. Pullena was shocked when a child stuck her head out the door. She was very beautiful. Her blond curls came through the door before she did.

"Is this Prince Thorin's room?" Pullena asked. The girl's face turned red and she bashfully shook her head up and down. "Who are you?" Pullena asked puzzled.

"I'm Princess Dís." The girl said quietly.

"Oh, you are?" So does that make you his sister?"

"Mhmm." The young girl kept her face down. There was no doubt she was Thorin's sister. She had the piercing blue eyes her whole family possessed. Pullena could not help, but smile at her. She was the most adorable little girl she had ever seen.

"Are you hungry Princess Dís?" The little girl quickly perked up and shook her head up and down. She smiled from ear to ear as she opened up the door for Pullena to enter. Pullena set the tray down on the table for Dís and began to tidy the room up. "Where is Prince Thorin?"

"He is in the mines." Dís replied with a mouthful of toast.

"Why are you in his quarters? Do you have your own quarters?" Pullena walked over to Thorin's large bed and began to straighten it up. His sheets were just as soft as hers. Pullena was almost tempted to lie down for a nap.

"I had scary dreams last night. When I get scared I just come in here and Thorin plays music to help me sleep. He says that the harp is magic and that it will put me to sleep and keep me safe, but if I touch it or try to play it then the magic will go away."

"Well that is very interesting, Miss Dís. What do you have nightmares about?"

"Dragons." Pullena felt her body turn to ice, but Dís just kept humming and eating her breakfast.

"Do you have a nurse maid?"

"Yes. She will know where to find me."

"I am going to go down into the mines and talk with your brother for a while. Will you be fine by yourself?"

"I am ten years old so that means that I am allowed to be in a room all by myself." Dís was perfectly content sitting in her brother's room eating breakfast. Pullena closed the door behind her and made her way down several flights of stairs. When she had gotten back to the commons area she stopped a miner.

"Excuse me, sir. I am looking for Prince Thorin. I was told he was down in the mines can you tell me how to get there?"

"Well, lass you just need toward keep taking every stairwell that you see going down. You should be in the mines in about ten minutes or so. Just ask the men where Thorin is and they will lead you to him."

"Thank you, sir." Pullena took off rather quickly down toward the mines. The miner was not exaggerating when he said that it would take several minutes to make it into the mines. Pullena hated to wear dresses. She kept tripping on it while descending the stairs. Eventually she started to see miners. The hammering of the mattocks against the mountain wall became louder and louder. Finally, Pullena reached the deepest depth of the mountain, to the gem mine. It was very dark and hard to breath. There was barely any air. She could not understand why Thorin would want to be in such a horrible place.

"Excuse me I am looking for Prince Thorin can anyone help me?" Nobody answered her question. She walked until she arrived in a room completely full of different jewels. There were several tables where men sat studying the jewels to test their authenticity. Again Pullena asked; "Has anybody seen Prince Thorin?" Luckily Thorin looked up from one of the tables and stood up to greet her.

"Why are you down here, Pullena?"

"I have a question to ask you and it could not wait."

"What is wrong?" Thorin crossed his arms.

"Are there any wizards or elves that come here to visit?"

"Well, of course. King Thranduil pays homage to my grandfather. A wizard comes here once in a while to see my father. I cannot for the life of me remember his name. He has not visited with my father since I was a child. Why are you inquiring about these things?"

"I wanted to talk to somebody about my nightmares. I was hoping to seek the counsel of a wizard."

"I can talk to my father and see when the wizard may be visiting us again. If I were you I would have a smoke to clear up my mind. It will help to calm you down."

"Thank you, my Lord. I apologize for disturbing you."

"How are you enjoying your first day in Erebor?" Thorin walked back over to his table and sat down.

"It is very… exhausting. Nerraa has given me a very hard time, but I believe we will eventually get along. I met Princess Dís when I entered your room. She is a very sweet little girl."

"She is the most precious thing in this world to my father. If it were not for her then my father would have completely lost his sanity when my mother died. I love her dearly."

"She told me about the magic harp."

"I have been playing my harp for her since the day she was born. It seems to calm her down. If you would excuse me Pullena I really must be getting back to work. You may have the rest of the day off to clear your mind."

"Thank you my Lord. I am sorry to disturb you. According to Nerraa you have very strict guidelines." They both began to laugh. Thorin just shook his head.

"She is harmless. I take it that she tried to kill you with her old slip trick." Pullena just smiled. "She will not try to hurt you again. I am sorry I should have warned you about her, but it must have slipped my mind."

"All is forgiven, my lord. I wish you a good day my lord." Pullena turned to walk away.

"Pullena, do you think you will like it here in Erebor?" asked Thorin.

"I believe I shall."


	5. Pity Stays the Hand

Pity Stays the Hand

Several months had passed and Pullena was now an official citizen of The Lonely Mountain. She had become accustomed to the life of a servant, but her longing to be the soldier that she was trained to be still lingered. In her free time, Pullena would visit Balin and talk to the guards watching over the gate. They taught her about the basics of guarding Erebor. One day Balin took her to Ravenhill and she learned how they trained the ravens to be messengers. When Prince Thrain saw how well Pullena fulfilled her duties, he gave her the responsibility of caring for Dís in addition to serving Thorin. Pullena absolutely adored Dís and considered it a great honor to be able to raise her.

Pullena was awoken from her sleep by a knock at her door. She was very confused for no one had ever come to her door this early in the morning. She climbed out of bed and wrapped a blanket around herself. As she was walking towards the door she heard another knock.

"Who is it?" she inquired.

"It's just me Lena." said Thorin. Pullena got a smile on her face.

"Just a moment, my lord I need to freshen up a bit." She ran to the basin of water and quickly chewed on some mint leaves to freshen her breath. After rinsing her mouth out with water she scurried to the door and opened it. "Good morning!" she said.

"May I come in?"

"Of course you may. Is something wrong?" Thorin walked in and looked around Pullena's room. It looked much different from the first time he showed her to her room several months ago. He walked over to a tapestry that she had hanging on the wall and rubbed his hand against its silky golden corners. Upon further examination Thorin realized that his royal emblem was weaved in a deep blue silk thread in the middle of it.

"Where did you get this?" he asked. Thorin had never seen his emblem on anything except for the ring he wore. He felt honored, but at the same time he realized that one day he would be king and it would be a symbol of his legacy.

"I just thought that my quarters needed a little personal touch and since I am your servant I thought I would be the first to have a tapestry featuring your emblem. After all, you will be the ruler of this magnificent kingdom someday."

"That is what worries me. My grandfather and my father are great warriors and they earned the people's respect because of their sacrifices in battle. I have not done anything of importance." Thorin sat down on Pullena's bed. "When I walk through the halls I notice the way the people look at me and they do not look to me as a great leader. You have been here for less than a year and already you have become good friends with the guard yet I have lived here my whole life and nobody wishes to converse with me."

"Thorin I believe you could be a great person which is why out of all the symbols I could put on a tapestry I chose yours. Us Dwarves live to be two to three hundred years old and you are only in your twenty-third year of life. I know we are living in a time of peace and prosperity, but we will go to war or aid one of our allies and you will rise to become a great leader. You just have to reach out to the people. The only thing I have in common with the guards is that I use to be one and what a guard does in the Iron Hills in nothing compared to what it takes to protect Erebor. They do not talk to me because I am this all-knowing special person. I just took an interest in their day-to-day lives and they were happy to talk to me about it."

"I apologize for telling you my troubles. I promise you that was not the purpose for my coming here, but I appreciate it. I came in here to inform you that my grandfather wants us in the throne room for a meeting. He wants us to go on a scouting mission for him."

"What are we looking for?" Pullena began to empty out her trunk to get to her sword.

"He did not say. It will probably be a routine sweep for orc packs that are not where they should be." Thorin got up from Pullena's bed and walked towards the door. "Do not bring your old sword. I will take you to the armory before we leave."

"Thank you, Lord Thorin. I will see you in the throne room." Pullena closed the door behind Thorin. The last thing he wanted to do was go on a scouting mission in the dead of winter, but luckily his friend Balin was chosen as one of the members of the company, which would make the journey much more bearable. Thorin made his way out of the servants' quarters and into the main foyer. He could feel the harsh winter wind coming down the stairwell from the lookout balcony. He decided to journey up the stairs to see who was on duty for the day.

"Good morning, lad!" said a cheerful Balin when Thorin arrived. "It is truly a beautiful snowy day here in Esgaroth although I fear it may get even colder later."

"Good morning, Balin."

"Are you ready for this mission of ours?" Balin inquired.

"I would much rather be sitting by a warm fire drinking ale all day. I never did like the snow." Thorin replied. He looked out towards Dale to see what they were doing on such a cold morning. He could see smoke rising from several chimneys. There was not a lot of movement since it was still early in the morning. "Is there any news from Ravenhill today?"

"We have not had any news besides an "All clear." from them for a while. I know you are bored out of your mind lad, but I am enjoying this time of peace and quiet. When I was your age we had a slight problem with some renegade wargs snatching up livestock and I hated waking up in the wee hours of the night to take care of them. We were out on farms cleaning up their messes for hours at a time. Before we knew it there was talk of orcs roaming around and it was not taken lightly. We rounded up four hundred men and dwarves to march around our borders for three days straight until scouts returned and said they retreated. Trust me lad when I say that this peace is good."

"I do not know if we can truly say we are at peace, my old friend. Wild men have been coming down from the mountains and wreaking havoc, there was an assassination attempt on my life and on Lord Girion's son, and there is talk of a man that can control fire."

"He is probably just some sorcerer that is delving into magic too dark for his own good. I have seen many sorcerers come and go except for that Gandalf fellow. I believe he still makes appearances from time to time.

"Pullena believes that he is a great wizard, but I have never met him even though he is my father's oldest friend."

"How is our dear Pullena?"

"You can ask her that yourself when we meet with my grandfather." Thorin said.

"Eh, who is going on this little adventure of ours anyways?" Suddenly they heard a fanfare of horns coming from a higher level in the kingdom. "Well I suppose we will find out now shan't we?" The two dwarves made their way to the throne room. When they arrived, Pullena was already standing near the throne conversing with King Thror. Thorin thought she looked radiant even from afar. He could not help, but notice that she looked as if she was holding back a smile when he entered the room. He did not deny that over the last few months she caught his attention and he found her very attractive.

"Welcome my lords." Pullena said as she bowed to Thorin and Balin.

"I am sorry we are running late, Grandfather. I understand that this meeting is very urgent." Thorin said.

"Indeed it is lad. I have called you all here regarding a mission of importance. A while back a scout reported seeing a group of wild men meeting to the south of us. At first I did not think anything of it because I know they gather once in a while, but my scouts say that they have now made camp. King Thranduil was concerned as well so he sent a couple of scouts to eavesdrop. The scouts heard them talking of invading Esgaroth with an army of orcs that were headed to the camp from Mordor. I sent out more scouts a week ago and they have not returned. Seeing as how you two are my most trusted warriors and I know you will be able to properly defend yourselves should the need to do so arise, I am sending you all to the encampment to see how many orcs are going to aid them. I am afraid that we are going to have to prepare for battle. This mission is going to require a lot of stealth and secrecy. I wish I could send a few guards with you all, but I wish for this company to remain discreet."

"What about the scouts who are missing, my king?" asked Balin. "It is against my nature to leave a fellow Dwarf stranded without hope."

"If you feel the need to rescue them I should hope you would not drag my grandson into an enemy camp. I know that you are wise in the ways of battle Lord Balin and if the opportunity arises please feel free to rescue those scouts at your own risk." Thror turned to Pullena and smiled. "Balin tells me that you have become interested in our guard. I am aware that you were once a guard in the Iron Hills were you not?"

"That is correct, my king." Pullena replied.

"I should like for you to go with them and make sure that my grandson does not do anything impulsive. Keep him safe."

"It would be an honor, my king." she bowed to him and walked over to Balin.

"When would you like for us to leave, Grandfather?" asked Thorin.

"I have the ponies saddled and ready to leave so do make haste while you prepare for your departure." The trio bowed to King Thror and started walking down the long walkway to exit the throne room. Pullena was elated to once again have the chance to serve a leader as a guard. Thorin led the group to the gallery of kings where he unveiled a hidden staircase. The three of them walked down into an armory that was completely stocked with new iron weapons. Pullena could barely contain her excitement as she ran around the room examining the different weaponry. On the left wall there was an abundance of swords for her to test out, on the right wall hung twenty different bows and directly below them sat barrels of arrows. On the front wall there was a selection of miscellaneous weapons such as battle axes, mattocks, and throwing knives. Pullena found a beautiful dagger with an opal hilt that she stored on her belt. Thorin saw the joy in her eyes as she browsed the bows. Pullena must have had a good taste in quality since she chose to pack the only Elfish made bow and arrow set. Pullena turned around to dry fire the bow when she was distracted by the wall that displayed the different armor available. In the corner of the room sat a small mithril shirt.

"Thorin, where did you acquire this mithril shirt, it is absolutely gorgeous." She picked it up and began moving her fingers along the intricate inlay of mithril on the collar of the shirt.

"Do you like it?" Thorin asked as he walked behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. Pullena's faced turned red at his touch. His hands were very gentle.

"Who made this?"

"I made it for you and it is for you to keep. You may do as you wish with it." Pullena turned and faced Thorin in disbelief.

"Thorin this is a very expensive gift. I cannot accept it free of charge." She began to lay it back on the table, but Thorin stopped her.

"It is a gift for a trusted friend. Think of it as a belated Durin's Day present. I had Nerraa give me a copy of your measurements when she took them for your uniform dress so it should fit you well." He walked over to the swords and grabbed one off of the shelf. "This sword matches the dagger you selected." Pullena held it up and whipped it around the room a few times.

"Thank you for everything Thorin. I am going to finish gathering my things." Thorin stared at her as she left the room and vanished up the stairs.

"Do you fancy her lad?" asked Balin. Thorin snapped back from the daze he was in.

"Do not be ridiculous Balin. I have no time for things such as romance. She is just a good friend of mine."

"That smile you had on your face must have deceived me. If it means anything to you at all I believe she fancies you too lad."

"I do not believe she would have me, my friend. Come, let us make ready for our journey." Thorin and Balin made their way out of the armory and back to their quarters to pack. Meanwhile, Pullena had finished packing and made her way to Dís' room to let her know she would be gone for a while. When she walked into the room, Dís was peacefully sleeping under her pink silk blankets.

"Wake up little princess. It is morning now." Pullena began to rub her back to wake her gently. Dís slowly rolled over to face her.

"I'm still too sleepy, Lena. I do not want to wake up." Dís rubbed her eyes with her tiny hands.

"I will let you sleep, but I wanted to let you know that I am leaving and I do not know when I shall return." When Dís heard this she jumped up immediately.

"Why are you leaving me? Don't you love me?" Dís began to cry.

"There, there do not cry." Pullena pulled Dís close to her and began to rock her back and forth. She moved the girl's golden hair from her wet cheeks. "I am going on a little trip with your brother Thorin. I promise with all that I am that I will return to you. I even made you a present to prove to you that I do not break my promises." When Dís heard she was getting a present her crying subsided and she was able to sit up and dry her eyes even though she was stuttering her breath as all children do after they cry. Pullena pulled out a small bag from her travel sack and gave it to Dís. The princess quickly opened it and poured the contents in her hand. Dís was slightly disappointed when a small blue stone fell into her hand.

"What is it?" asked Dís.

"Turn it around you silly girl." Dís flipped the stone over and saw that there were Khuzdul runes engraved on it. "Can you read what it says little princess?" asked Pullena. Dís shook her head and climbed onto Pullena's lap with her eyes fixed on the runes. "It says, "Return to me.", this is a special stone because it is magical and only a dwarf may read what it says. As long as you keep this with you I will keep my promise and it will guide me back to you."

"Will Forin be able to find his way back too?" Pullena kissed Dís on the forehead and laughed at the way her speech impediment made her say Thorin. Dís laid back down so Pullena could tuck her into bed.

"Of course he will! He loves you so much. Sleep well little princess. I will return to you soon."

"Bye, bye Lena. I love you."

"And I you Dís." Pullena walked out of the room and shut the door behind her. She could not help, but shed a few tears. She was going to miss Dís and she knew that it would break her heart if she did not come back alive. Thorin came out of his room alarmed that Pullena was crying.

"What is the matter?" Thorin rushed to her.

"Oh, do not mind me. I am going to miss your sister and I promised her I would come back to her safely." Pullena dried her eyes and cleared her throat. "Well, my lord, we should be going."

"Pullena."

"Yes, my lord?"

"You… uh… look well today."

"Oh, thank you sir." Pullena turned around and began walking down the stairs. Thorin could not see her face, but she was smiling. Feeling like a complete idiot, Thorin smacked his forehead and shook his head at the informal comment he had made.

"Did you talk to your brother at all this morning?" Pullena asked.

"I am not speaking to that immature fool. I walked into his room last night to see if he wanted to enjoy a drink with me and I walked in on him fooling around with a prostitute."

"Good gracious me! What a horrid thing to do!" Pullena was appalled.

"There are far more consequences for sovereigns that do not keep their virtue before marriage than there are for peasants. If I had not walked in on them then she could have conceived and then there would be a bastard child in the pure line of Durin."

"Ah, yes! I read the laws that Durin laid down for his family. If an illegitimate child is born to the sons of Durin then that line may not rule for fourteen generations."

Thorin turned to Pullena. "I am glad we see eye to eye on this matter. Then you understand my concern?"

"Of course, my lord!" Thorin stopped to look at Pullena. When she smiled at him his body turned to ice. It was as if they were outside exposed to the winter weather.

When they had arrived outside the gates, Balin was sitting on his pony waiting for them.

"Are we all set for our journey?" Balin asked as he mounted his pony. Thorin helped Pullena onto her pony before mounting his.

"Let us be off." Pullena said. Thorin led the group in a gallop. As soon as they took off the cold wind began to sting their faces. Because the snow was dry and freshly fallen, it would fly up into their faces from the ponies' hooves kicking it up.

"How can you all stand this bloody air?" Pullena asked her riding companions.

"It is because we are able to grow beards to protect our faces!" Thorin teased. Balin laughed loudly at his comment, but Pullena just shook her head and smiled. They rode in the snowy terrain for hours. It was not an easy ride for sometimes the ponies would fall into some deep snow and they had to stop frequently to prevent the ponies from inhaling too much of the freezing air. Once they were on flatter ground Pullena was able to admire the beautiful snowcapped mountains that stood in the distance. She loved Middle Earth and all of its beauty. This little adventure reminded her of the days when she was a guard for the Iron Hills. Being stuck inside The Lonely Mountain for all these months made her forget about her adventurous spirit and she felt a sudden burst of adrenaline well up inside her. Without warning she took off in the fastest gallop she possibly could on a pony. It had been a while since she felt the freedom she did at that moment. They road on for a few more hours until eventually they came upon a stream that had not yet frozen.

"We need to replenish our water supply." Thorin yelled as he stopped his pony. "Be on the lookout Pullena there may be some Wild Men nearby.

"Yes, my lord." Pullena hopped off her horse and looked around at their surroundings. It was very quiet and peaceful in the plains they were riding in. She watched as Thorin and Balin kindly tended to the horses. She could have sworn that Thorin was talking to the ponies at one point.

"How far away is the camp?" asked Pullena.

"It is about another half of a day's worth of riding. We will have to camp somewhere for the night. Hopefully we can find some good cover to build a fire." Balin answered.

`"My lord Thorin if it is alright with you I should like to walk around and stretch my legs. I do not sense any danger here." asked Pullena.

"Of course, but we will be leaving in about ten minutes." Pullena wandered down the stream a bit to have a look around. She could not hear Thorin and Balin talking anymore, but she did here a weird sound. It was in the distance. She began to walk towards the sound to discover that it was an infant crying, but it did not sound like any baby's cry that she had ever heard.

"Thorin! Balin! Come quickly!" She yelled. "I hear a child!" They both began running towards Pullena with the ponies trotting behind them. By the time they ran to Pullena the crying ceased. "Did you not hear that?"

"What did you say that you heard?" Thorin asked.

"I heard a baby crying, but it sounded like it was down the stream." She could once again hear the crying. The three of them took off towards the scream. They could hear it getting louder and louder. They ran to a place where the bank of the stream sloped into a large hill. At the bottom of the hill sat a small cave opening. The dwarves drew their swords and began to sneak towards the opening. When Pullena entered the cave, what she found shocked her.

"Prepare to attack!" Thorin yelled in Khuzdul. He charged towards the cave with his sword held high.

"No! Drop your weapons!" Pullena yelled back. Thorin did not stop what he was doing. She had no other choice, but to stop him herself.

"Thorin, stop this madness!" Pullena ran towards Thorin and tackled him. "I am sorry my lord, but I cannot allow you to kill this innocent creature!" She backed off of him so he could get up.

"Have you gone mad?" He began as he brushed himself off. "That is an orc! There is nothing innocent about him. They have been killing our people for hundreds of years!" Pullena put her sword back in its sheath and backed away slowly. "We are not here to hurt you. Please let us help." she spoke in an ancient language.

"What are you saying to that thing?" Thorin inquired angrily.

"I am just telling him that we are not here to hurt him and that we want to help." Pullena walked away from the cave a little more. "Please come out." She continued in the foreign tongue. A white orc slowly emerged from the cave holding an infant orc. He was emaciated and cold. His eyes were sunk in and dark, probably from a lack of sleep. By the sound of the child's hoarse crying he must have been crying for days. It was a miracle the both of them were still alive.

"Ask it for its name." Thorin demanded. Pullena began to speak to the orc.

"He says his name is Azog and this little child is Bolg." Pullena took the crying infant from the orc and began to comfort it. Thorin became enraged.

"What in Durin's name do you think you are doing, Pullena?" He asked in Khuzdul. "They should be killed immediately. There may be hundreds more of them around waiting to kill us."

Pullena began to have a conversation with the orc while she rocked the infant in her arms. Eventually he stopped crying and went to sleep. Pullena took one of her blankets and covered the naked infant to keep it warm.

"He says that he was exiled by his clan for refusing to fight for a man named Bydak. His wife died giving birth in the wilderness a few days ago and the child has not had anything to eat."

"Where is he from?" Balin asked suspiciously.

"He claims that he is from Gundabad."

"I say we let it die." Thorin said.

"Thorin how could you say something like that? This orc refused to fight with some mad man and is completely vulnerable out here. We are leaving them some supplies."

"They can have some supplies after he tells me who Bydak is." Thorin said. Pullena spoke with the orc.

"He says that Bydak is the man that has been rallying all of the Wild Men. Nobody knows where he came from. He was exiled before he heard why they were gathering."

"Let's get out of here and leave this orc filth to fend for himself." Thorin threw a small bag of food and tinder at the orc's feet. Pullena handed the sleeping infant back to Azog and thanked him for the information. As they were walking away the orc yelled something to them. Thorin drew his sword and walked towards the orc.

"Do you mean to mock us, filth?" Thorin sneered.

"Stop it, Thorin!" Balin interjected. He placed his hand on the hilt of Thorin's sword and lowered it. "What did he say, lass?" Balin turned towards Pullena.

"He just wanted to thank us." Pullena took the reins of her pony and walked away. She was very disappointed in Thorin's behavior. The group traveled without speaking to each other until the sun had set.

They made camp under a large tree at the bottom of a steep hill. Little did they know that just over the hill lied a whole encampment of Wild Men.


	6. Drinking Games

Drinking Games

Thorin was up for most of the night with regret over not killing the orc. There was something about it that did not sit well with him. It was not in his nature to let an orc leave his presence alive. He watched as Pullena peacefully slept next to him under a thick blanket. It killed him to see her so upset with him. Thorin reached into the knapsack sitting next to him and pulled out his harp; he played until his mind felt at peace. As he was about to begin his final song, Pullena woke up and turned to him. She sat up and moved her knotted hair out of her face so she could see him clearly.

"You play that harp beautifully." she said as she stretched her arms. "Would you like for me to keep watch while you rest?"

"Thank you, but I am not sure yet if I will rest." Thorin began to strum a soft melody, but he was actually exhausted.

"Why are you unable to rest my lord?" she asked.

"I am bothered by yesterday evening. I am also embarrassed by the way I behaved in front of you. I could not help myself. Orcs are absolute filth in my opinion." Thorin put the harp back in the knapsack because he felt too disgusted to play on.

"I can understand where your hatred for them would come from. I just cannot make myself believe that all of them are evil."

"Pullena he came from Gundabad! That is one of the vilest places in all of Middle Earth." Thorin had to rein himself in so as not to continue speaking in his anger.

"We were not so different from them at one time you know. We were allies with the orcs in the First Age."

"That was a long time ago. A lot has changed since then, besides they are the ones who turned on us."

"The point is that we could not kill them. It wouldn't have been right. I would not want the blood of that innocent child on my hands and who knows; maybe the orc will rise up as a leader and defeat the Gundabad orcs?" Pullena gave him a hopeful shrug, but Thorin just shook his head and lied down.

"I'm going to try to rest my eyes." He pulled and blanket over himself and shut his eyes.

Pullena looked up at the night sky and let her mind wander for several minutes. She thought about her life and where it was headed. She still had not gotten over being removed from The Iron Hills so suddenly. The worst part was that her adopted parents had not made contact with her since she left. The closest friend that she had was Thorin and she had no right to be good friends with her master.

"Pullena…" Thorin had fallen asleep and was mumbling her name. She got up from her bed and sat on the tree stump that Thorin had sat on to keep watch. She began to hum a somber tune that came to her in one of her dreams. She almost fell asleep, but was startled by the sound of crunching snow behind her.

"Oh 'at was beautiful!" said a voice. Pullena jumped up quickly, but before she could turn around she was clubbed on the head. Immediately she fell to the ground. The pain of the blow consumed her whole body. Everything within her wanted to jump up and retaliate against her attacker, but she had no control of her body. She was completely helpless. The last thing she remembered was watching in blurred confusion as Thorin and Balin were clubbed by a Wild Man.

Thorin slowly began to wake; his head ached terribly. The blow to his head was so hard that his eyes were having trouble focusing, which made him have double vision. Everywhere he looked he could see the color red yet he could still feel the cold ground beneath him. They were in a tent. He began to get up, but soon discovered that he was tied to a wooden pole along with the other two members of his company who were still unconscious. Thorin blinked his eyes tightly to try and regain his vision. Luckily, after a few minutes he was able to see clearer. It was definitely morning for there were little bits of light shining through the tears and holes in the tent.

Thorin looked over to Pullena who had her head lying up against his neck. He could see dried blood on her cheek.

"Balin! Pullena!" he whispered loudly. Neither of them moved. He tried to nudge Balin awake, but the movement only resulted in the whole tent shaking which drew attention. An older man with a long black beard and a tangled mess of hair, stuck his head through the closed entrance of the tent and quickly drew his head back outside.

"One of 'em is awake, sir!" He bellowed.

"Quite fool!" a voice snapped back. Thorin listened as the man uttered curses and walked away. How were they ever going to escape this mess? He closed his eyes so he could concentrate on the conversations going on outside the tattered tent. He was listening for information about the missing scouts. If the scouts were still alive then they could communicate in Khuzdul without the Wild Men understanding them and possibly plan their escape. It was not long before a masked man walked into the tent with a damp white cloth in his hand. He cupped his hand and forced it on Thorin's face. Thorin tried to hold his breath for as long as he could, but it did not matter. He deeply inhaled the foul-smelling cloth, which caused him to fall into a deep sleep.

The three dwarves were jolted awake by a wave of ice cold water. They all looked up at the guard in disgust.

"Was that really necessary?" Balin asked.

"Why are you here?" the guard inquired harshly.

"We are travelling to visit some family in Dunland." Thorin said. "This is my wife and my cousin. We are simple folk and mean you no harm."

"I highly doubt that." The man said with a sly laugh. "There have been two companies of dwarves and a group of elves sent to spy on us within the last few weeks. You must have been sent to check on the dwarves we captured. Don't try to deny it either! If indeed you are travelers then why do your ponies carry more weapons than food?"

"My husband is a blacksmith and the weapons are gifts to our family. We were unable to visit them on Durin's Day so the weapons are their Durin's Day gifts." Pullena answered.

"You look like Erebor scum to me." The man said. "My master will be here earlier tomorrow and he will decide your fate. I wouldn't count on making it out of this tent alive." The guard got up and walked out of the tent.

"Well, what do we do now?" Balin asked. "We have no weapons and we have no idea how many men there are outside of this bloody tent."

"Before we can even begin to plan an escape we need to somehow find out if the scouts are still alive and where they are being held. I can try to see if they will let me out of the tent to relieve myself." Pullena said. She looked up at Thorin to see what he thought, but he was staring at the opening of the tent dismally.

"Whatever we do we need to do it quickly. That guard said their master would be returning soon and I can only assume that their master is that fire-enchanter fellow. He knows who Thorin is and he will kill us all as soon as he sees us." Balin said in frustration. "We look to you for direction, my lord."

Thorin thought for a moment. If he went outside the tent there was a risk that he would be recognized, Balin could go outside, but his temper was too short to be trusted at the moment, Pullena had wits about her, but she was a woman and Wild Men are not picky about mating, hence the abominable creatures that lived in their midst.

"Pullena, do you feel comfortable doing this?" he asked.

"Yes my lord." She replied. "I understand the risks, but this is our only chance of survival. I will scout out the camp and give you a report. Guard!" she bellowed. "Hello out there?" A younger Wild Man came into the tent. "I need to relieve myself if you would be so kind as to take me somewhere private where I may do so then I will greatly appreciate it." The young man grunted and nodded. He cut her loose and led her out of the tent.

The situation wasn't as bad as they thought. They were in the middle of a small encampment of Wild Men. There were several dozen tents pitched and a fire pit almost everywhere she could see. The men made animal noises at her and shouted profanities in their language. Pullena could smell meat cooking in the distance. As they neared the outskirts of the camp, they passed a larger tent with a luxurious carpet leading to the inside of it.

"That must be the man in charge." Pullena thought to herself. "Excuse me, sir. Who is staying in there?" she inquired. The young man looked behind his shoulder to make sure she was actually talking to him. "Do you speak Common Tongue?"

"Yes she-dwarf." he replied. "That's Lord Bydak's messenger. He can see and hear everything that goes on inside the camp."

"How do you know this?" Pullena new that Wild Men would believe in any mysticism and superstition. The young man thought for a moment and realized he didn't have an original answer.

"He told us so." The young man stopped for a moment to think about the whole situation.

"Shall we test that theory out?" Pullena turned to the tent and stuck her tongue out. The tent remained still. She then tried jumping up and down and waving her arms. Nothing happened. "Well, that was interesting. I would like to talk to your master." She darted towards the tent and entered it, but to her surprise, it was filled with barrels and bottles of ale. As soon as she saw the hoard of spirits she knew that the ale was intended to be used as a celebration after a battle. They had to get back to Erebor and warn King Thror immediately. She grabbed several bottles and walked back outside the tent and ran to the most crowded fire pit. "Men of… the… um…" She could not think of a formal way to address them. "Men of the Wild, I have just returned from your master's tent and found this!" she threw the bottles into the crowd. "He wants you all to have a bit of fun before the battle." A lot of them cheered until an older man spoke up from the crowd. "Who are you? Aren't you a prisoner?" all of the men agreed at once and lunged towards her.

"Halt! I am… a messenger from your master. He sent me here along with my friends to test the alertness and the organization of this camp… and um… you passed! So drink up men!" Her impromptu explanation, even though it was weak, was enough to convince them to storm their master's tent and drag out the rest of the ale. She seized this chance to make it back to her traveling companions. Thorin and Balin were relieved to see her appear through the threshold of their tent.

"What happened?" Balin inquired as Pullena untied his restraints. "Did you find our scouts?"

"No, but I think I have a plan. Thorin, they are planning an attack. I found a bunch of ale in the leaders tent and I know it is supposed to be for an after battle celebration. I convinced them to drink it all now, so I suggest we wait in here for a few hours and then go look for the scouts once they have passed out from drunkenness."

"Well done, Pullena." Thorin said as he rubbed his sore wrists. "We need to get word back to Erebor and tell my grandfather to send out a unit of warriors." They all exchanged looks at each other.

"You should go lad." Balin said. "It is too dangerous for you here."

"I agree." Pullena chimed in. "You need to get back to safety."

"I would never be able to forgive myself if something happened to you under my watch, Thorin."

"I am not leaving without Pullena!" he snapped. Once he realized what he said he turned red from embarrassment. "I mean… I hold myself personally responsible for her safety so I suggest that we stay here while you return to Erebor Balin." Pullena and Balin looked at each other and nodded their heads in agreement.

"Very well, my lord." Balin replied. "Did you see where the ponies went to Pullena?"

"They are all corralled on the outskirts of the camp. It did not look like they were being guarded. If we can direct all of their attention to the other side of the camp then you can leave now."

"Pullena and I will go distract them. Leave the tent when the coast is clear." Thorin and Pullena made their way to an eating area farther away from the tent. As they were walking, Thorin quietly called out in Khuzdul to see if any of the scouts were near, but there was no answer. "I am starting to believe that our men are dead." Thorin said in dismay.

"We cannot lose hope, my lord. What exactly do you propose we do to distract all of these men?"

"Drinking games. If we can get them to start competing and casting bets against each other then they will be preoccupied until every single one of them passes out. At that point we will search every tent in this camp for the scouts." Thorin climbed onto one of the wooden tables and yelled: "Let's make this interesting and place wages men! Whoever wins gets the she-dwarf!" he quickly hopped off the table as the men sprinted to the eating area. He and Pullena darted to a vacant tent several feet away from the action. Thorin peered out of the flap of the tent and could see Balin's cloak waving at the top of the hill that stood next to the camp. He had successfully escaped. Thorin sat down next to Pullena in the tent and grabbed her hand. "Now we wait."

Several hours had passed. Thorin remained on guard while Pullena slept on the frozen ground. As time passed the camp grew quieter and quieter. Out of the hundreds of men in the camp only a few dozen were conscious and even they were struggling to hold themselves up. The fools were still placing bets against each other.

"Wake up, Lena" Thorin gently nudged her. She quickly sat up thinking that something was wrong. "It is time to search." The two dwarves sneaked out the tent and went around the camp quietly calling for the dwarves, but they never received an answer. They searched for several minutes and just as they were about to give up, they heard an answer.

"My lord, we are in here!" Thorin and Pullena raced toward a tent conveniently located next to the ponies. They opened the flap to find several dwarves tied to the center post of the tent.

"Are you boys ready to go home?" Pullena asked as she cut them lose.

"Yes ma'am." an older dwarf said.

"Well then, gentlemen. Let us be off." The dwarves filed out of the tent, hopped on the ponies, and galloped back to Erebor leaving the camp to their impending demise by the unit of warriors that would be arriving in the late hours of the night.

The next day, Bydak rode up to the camp with a group of tribe leaders to make sure they were ready for battle whenever he should call upon them. A scantily dressed man stumbled over to the group of men and vomited close to the hooves of Bydak's horse, startling the creature.

"What's all this then?" Bydak scanned the tent to see that all of the men had been slaughtered. Blood covered the campgrounds. "What happened here?" Bydak roared.

"Dwarves, you're excellency. They caught us off guard and overtook us."

"You reek of ale." Bydak simply turned around and started trotting away. The camp immediately burst into flames and was completely consumed in fire.


	7. A Proposition

A Proposition

Pullena made her daily early morning climb up the stairs to Thorin's chambers. Several weeks had passed since the incident at the Wild Men encampment and everyone was on high alert. Retaliation by their leader was imminent and if the rumors about his powers were true, then they did not know what to expect. However, today was going to be different because it was Thorin and Dís' birthday. Pullena had been planning Dís' party for several days and planning a small get together for Thorin. She had no idea what to get him for a gift. She knocked on Thorin's door and let herself in. She sat the silver tray on a small table that sat by the door and walked over to his bed to wake him up.

"Happy birthday, Thorin!" He rolled over against the golden silk sheets and yawned.

"Do I have to get up?" He quickly covered his head with the sheet and rolled back over. Thorin did not like to have a lot of attention on him and being the prince didn't help that problem. He knew what awaited him. All day people would be bowing to him, praising the ground he walked on, and offering their daughters to him as a bride. All he wanted to do was hide in his quarters until tomorrow morning.

"Come now, this is no way to act on your birthday." Pullena ripped the blankets from Thorin and sat down next to him on the bed.

"I miss the days when you use to address me as "lord" and wait for me to answer my door instead of barging in." Pullena gave him a friendly smack on the arm.

"Let's get this day over with. Besides, Dís will want you to come to the little party I'm throwing for her and being the amazing friend who just got demoted to an amazing maid servant by you, I bought enough ale for us all to get reasonably drunk tonight." The group of dwarves Pullena was referring to was Thorin, Balin, Dwalin, Frerin and herself. The young group of dwarves had accustomed themselves to go into the kitchen in the dead of night to drink and eat after the servants had gone to bed. This made for great merriment and strengthened their comradery.

"Very well, I will see you outside the door once I get ready." Thorin got up and washed his face meanwhile; Pullena left the room and waited outside in the hall. After a few minutes of hearing Thorin shuffle around his room trying to get ready in a hurry, Pullena could hear him approaching the door and backed away.

"Would you like to go see your father and your grandfather before we begin our day?

"My father will probably lock himself inside his room all day."

"And why would he do that?" Pullena was shocked.

"Well, today is not only the day that two of his children were born, but it is also the anniversary of my mother's death. She died giving birth to Dis remember?"

"Thorin I am so sorry. That thought never crossed my mind. Here I am running around planning a party and talking about having a good time without taking into consideration that this day is a time of mourning for your family."

"There's no need to apologize. I loved my mother, but we were never close. I clung to my father as a child and when Frerin came along she favored him. She would probably deny that, but I know she took more to him than me. Father was always more strict towards Frerin since he is more of a vagabond than a prince which is probably due to my mother coddling him. She was a very humble and caring dwarf, but enough of this sadness. Shall we begin the festivities?" They both walked down the stairs to begin their long day of celebration.

Azog limped about in the middle of nowhere. Every direction he looked was completely wiped out by the snowstorm raging around him. He was completely exposed to the elements. His skin was burned from being pounded by the freezing winds. What was worse, his son had not stopped screaming for days. The food that the dwarves had given him lasted only a day and he could feel the effects of starvation taking control of his body. All he wanted to do was find a rock so he could put his son out of his misery.

As if by magic, the wind died down slightly and he could see a large boulder in the distance. He ran to it using all the energy he had left. He raised his son to prepare to strike his head against the stone when all of the sudden, he was thrown back by a force of light.

Azog lay on his back completely dumbfounded by what had just happened. Before he could get his bearings, he heard a whisper, as if the voice was inside of his head.

"Such wasted potential." said the whisper in Black Speech. "I could make you powerful, but you refuse to submit to me." Azog knew immediately who the voice belonged to. He jumped up ready to fight, but Bydak knocked him back down with flames.

"So much anger. So much power. Imagine if you could use those qualities to become the most powerful orc in all of Middle Earth." Bydak began to circle around the immobilized orc.

_"Why don't you leave me alone to die?" _Azog hissed.

"Azog, my dear friend, you know why I cannot let you go, but since you cannot get it through your thick orc skull, let me explain this to you again. My lord looked through the future of Middle Earth and saw you as a great warrior who helped him come back to his physical form. He is prepared to give you everything that you have ever wanted. All you have to do is fight for us and we will make you the commander of legions. Your son won't have to die." Bydak scooped the child up and handed it back to its father.

_"Why would I ever want to serve you? It is because of you that my wife is dead and I am stuck roaming around these forsaken lands."_

"Do you really believe that I would command orcs to destroy their brethren? Your home was not attacked by my orcs. Your village was attacked by a secret militia that Prince Thrain has organized to rid Middle Earth of your kind. The very hands that fed you last week are of the same blood that killed your wife while your child was still in her womb!"

Azog thought back to that day. He came home from hunting to find his small abode in ashes and his wife's battered body thrown into the street like garbage. Acting quickly he cut the babe from her womb to try to save the small piece of her he had left. Luckily, the child had survived, but now he wished he would have left it for dead rather than making it live in agony.

_"How do I know that what you are saying is true?"_

Bydak created a pillar of fire that replayed the attack for Azog. He watched as the dwarves hacked and burned everything he had ever cared for and almost vomited as he watched Prince Thrain himself stab his wife in the neck as she begged for mercy. He commanded a few guards to drag her out into the street to make an example of her to the survivors. He then screamed to the remaining orcs:

"For Erebor! May my children never have to worry about your plague of an existence in these lands." and with his next breath he ordered their necks to be slit… including the children's. Azog reached out and tried to grab Thrain by the neck, but he only managed to burn himself in the fire.

_"I want the blood of him and all his descendants from now until the end of this Age" _Azog stood up and brushed the wet snow off of himself. _"What must I do?"_

"Come with me, Commander." Bydak put his shoulder on Azog and they disappeared into the flames. In an instant, they were surrounded by other orcs and Wild Men… a few thousand of them. They were chanting and roaring around a pit of fire. Azog immediately knew he was in Gundabad the very place he escaped from when he was still a child.

"Brothers, I give you our savior!" The crowd went ballistic as Bydak held up Azog's arm.

_"You knew I would come with you!" _Azog was irate.

"Look at them! They worship you." Bydak pointed out. "You will taste the blood of Durin's folk sooner than you think." Bydak turned to the crowd once more. "We begin our march on Erebor in seven days!" The crowd kept cheering and roaring. Bydak led Azog near the edge of the pit of fire.

"Do you Azog, son of the Gundabad swear your allegiance to our cause to destroy the line of Durin and claim their kingdoms for ourselves?"

_"I swear."_ Azog held his arm over the pit while Bydak slit is palm. His blood dripped into the fire causing a small explosion to erupt from it.

In that moment, Azog, the defiler of the line of Durin was born.

Thorin, Pullena, Balin, Dwalin, and Frerin sat in the kitchen very far along in their journey to intoxication. They had been talking and laughing for hours and at one point Pullena herself starting singing and dancing around the room. Thorin plucked away at his harp while they all talked about the comings and goings of the Lonely Mountain.

"I have the story of all stories to tell you all." A very inebriated Frerin spewed out. "Listen to this…" he burped loudly. "That's not what I wanted you to listen to!" He could not stop laughing. "One time, one time me and my dear brother 'ere went to Mirkwood. You know the place where you can't tell the difference between the men and the women?" Balin shrieked because of how hard he was laughing and threw an egg at Frerin. "So we are sitting in this room waitin' for grandfather and the pretty faced king to finish talking about this deal and we were so bored. So I says to Thorin: I am bored. We should do something to really put them off. So he, so he says to me." He belched again. "I have an idea!"

"That's enough Frerin!" Thorin was more of an angered drunk than the rest of his company who felt as if they were floating on air having the best time.

"So we walk up…" Frerin could hardly breathe because of his uncontrollable laughter. "So we walk up to the toilet and Thorin says to me: Let's use the toilet and leave. And you know what?!"

"Pray tell!" Pullena shouted back as she downed another cup of ale.

"They still haven't gotten rid of the smell!" Frerin fell backwards, Dwalin kept pounding his fist at the table, Pullena spit her food out, and Thorin watched entertained by what was taking place.

"I would like to take a moment and thank the person who made tonight's festivities possible!" Pullena began. She raised her mug: "To Prince Thorin, thank you for being born today and giving us a good reason to drink!"

"Cheers!" They all said simultaneously whilst clanging their glasses together.

"And with that I believe we should call it a night gentlemen… and Pullena." said Thorin. "We all have to work tomorrow and I can already tell that we will be miserable with a hangover." They all said their goodbyes. The others left while Pullena and Thorin stayed back to clean up the kitchen.

"I hope that you had a magnificent birthday Thorin." Pullena wiped off the wooden counter with a damp rag.

"This has probably been the best one yet and I am sure each one will get better and better as long as you are around."

"I beg your pardon?"

"I was just meaning that as long as you plan the parties they would be great!" Thorin had to watch himself. He had feelings for Pullena and they had grown stronger as the months passed, but he didn't think that she would ever fall for him. Pullena did a good job at confusing Thorin with her feelings. Somedays she would treat him as her master, and on some occasions like today she treated him as a good friend.

"Would you like me to walk you back to your room?"

"Yes, please do." Pullena replied. She could feel her euphoria starting to wear down and she almost had full composure. She walked behind Thorin the whole way up to her room. Erebor was tranquil at night once the axes and the mattocks stopped beating against the mountain floor. The wind beat against the mountain which created a beautiful hum that echoed throughout the halls. The two dwarves stood outside of Pullena's room.

"Pullena once again, thank you for today. It was wonderful"

"You're welcome, Thorin. Would you like your breakfast at the regular time?" Pullena felt odd, as if she wanted to be with Thorin all night and that she may cry when he leaves. She blamed it on the alcohol.

"I won't require breakfast. I will probably be sick all day from a hangover. You will just need to tend to Dís tomorrow morning."

"Very well, um… I suppose this is goodnight then?"

"Goodnight Pullena." Thorin bowed and turned to leave. Pullena felt a fire within her body. She quickly turned away from her door.

"WAIT!" she yelled too loudly. She ran towards Thorin and kissed him. He immediately wrapped his arms around her. This is what he had wanted for months, but then he remembered that she was slightly drunk. He gently pushed her away from him.

"I cannot do this. You aren't in your right mind, Pullena." They were both startled when they heard a door slam. Somebody had caught them. Pullena quickly ran into her room and slammed the door. Thorin could hear her crying in her room. He leaned his head up against her door and whispered: "I love you."


End file.
